


Maybe Tomorrow

by a1_kitkat



Category: Da Vinci's Demons, X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Affection, Artist Assistant, Blow Jobs, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Charles-centric, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Double Anal Penetration, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Guilt, Love Letters, M/M, Male Slash, Murder, Nude Modeling, Past Child Abuse, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Protective Da Vinci, Protective Erik, Revenge, Rimming, Secrets, Shaw is Creepy, Smitten Erik, True Love, Trust, X-Men First Class Kink Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 18:05:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 43,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3905734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>WARNING: This story contains History of Child Abuse... Non-Graphic but still present!!!!</p>
<p>Written as a prompt fill from LJ wherein anon wished to have Charles & Erik meet by one of them being sketched/drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci. My knowledge of history is terrible but I'm more than a little obsessed with the series 'Da Vinci's Demons' so I decided to attempt to fuse the two fandoms.</p>
<p>Erik & Charles both have their powers. This fic is essentially about Charles & Erik but all other characters are straight from the 'Da Vinci's Demons' TV series... For the sake of this story, Charles is in place of Nicco as Da Vinci's assistant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe Tomorrow

Erik sat very stoically atop a large boulder near the edge of a steep hill. His head was tilted to the side, one leg folded under his body and his eyes staring only at the artist who was sketching him. They talked very little as the artist, Da Vinci, focused intently on his work. Erik was never one for idle talking so he was content to remain silent.

They had been there for quite some time when Erik felt his leg beginning to lose feeling from sitting on it.

“Leonardo?” Erik drawled.  
“Shhhhh” Da Vinci hissed. “Don’t move!”  
“I have to, my leg is cramping”

Erik tried to wiggle his toes but it made little difference. He shifted slightly before choosing to ignore the artist. He stood up and, on wonky legs, made his way towards the artist and his easel.

“Erik!” Leonardo shrieked.  
“If you don’t want your subjects to move then I suggest you try drawing statues” Erik replied.  
He reached the spot where Da Vinci stood in front of his easel and he moved around to have a look. The artist had managed to capture his likeness very well. He couldn’t help but notice all the tiny detailing that had been included, the artist had taken much care to sketch every inch of Erik. He now understood why he’d requested Erik open his shirt to reveal his toned, slightly hairy chest.

Erik opened his mouth to compliment the drawing when the sound of an approaching horse and cart interrupted them. Da Vinci didn’t turn around; he simply waved his hand and muttered something about his assistant finally showing up. Erik was curious so he turned and watched as the horse and the cart slowly came to a stop.  
The young man sitting atop of the cart was smiling and Erik couldn’t help but smile back. There was something about this man that instantly captivated him but he wasn’t sure what it was.

“Maestro?” Charles greeted the artist.  
Da Vinci half heartedly waved to him but the artist was now staring up at the sky and muttering to himself.  
Charles was used to seeing this kind of behaviour from Da Vinci so he didn’t even bat an eye. He started to climb down from the cart when the horses decided to move. He stumbled and was almost sent tumbling to the ground but a pair of strong, toned arms caught him and suddenly he found himself staring into a pair of intense eyes.

Erik had been watching Charles closely and as soon as the cart shifted, he’d found himself leaping to action. Within seconds Charles had been thrown from the cart but Erik managed to catch him in the nick of time. 

The younger man fell into his arms and their eyes met. For several seconds neither one of them spoke. Erik merely held this exquisite man in his arms while the blue-eyed brunette stared at him.  
After a beat, his face broke into a wide smile.

“Thank you” he said to Erik.  
“You’re welcome” Erik replied. He made no attempt to put the man down.  
“My name is Charles, by the way” Charles introduced himself.  
“Erik”  
“Thank you for saving me”  
“Any time, Charles”  
Da Vinci was still moving back and forth, constantly looking at the sky and at the cart then back again. He seemed not to notice the two men getting better acquainted.

“I’m the maestro’s assistant” Charles said.  
Erik merely nodded then slowly, reluctantly, lowered Charles to the ground. He was suddenly aware of the fact that his own shirt was open and Charles was pressed tightly against him… something Charles didn’t seem overly opposed to.  
“Nice to meet you, Charles” Erik said once he’d released Charles. Despite letting him go, Erik held out his hand for a formal greeting. Charles instantly took hold of his offered hand and they shook.  
“You too, Erik”  
Neither one of them could explain the tiny spark that seemed to pass between them.

“Charles!” Da Vinci barked.  
He finally appeared to have refocused on his surroundings.  
“The cart… Now!” he snapped. “And Erik, I’m not paying you to stare at my assistant”  
“You’re not paying me at all” Erik replied.  
“Not with money anyway” Da Vinci winked at him and Erik couldn’t help wishing that Charles hadn’t heard that or seen the wink.

Charles was busying himself at the back of the cart and missed the entire exchange. He pulled the sheets off the back and once again saw the strange invention the maestro had been working on for weeks.

“What is it?” Erik asked, unable to figure it out.  
“You’ll see” Da Vinci replied. “Charles?”  
“Yes?”  
“Come on”  
“Come where?”

Da Vinci laughed as he moved towards Charles. He climbed up onto the cart and pulled Charles up after him. He then started doing a million things at once and Charles couldn’t keep up. The large wings were a very ominous sign though.  
“Quickly Charles” Da Vinci gleefully exclaimed. “While the wind is working for us”  
“Quickly?” Charles was confused. “The wind?”  
“Come on! Get in”

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, Da Vinci pushed him onto a platform and affixed his wrists to the wooden slats. He also tied his feet to the base.  
“Maestro?” Charles began. “I’m not so sure about this”

Erik was also confused by the actions of the eccentric artist. He suddenly hoped whatever he was about to do didn’t endanger the young man.

Da Vinci didn’t give much warning, he merely told Charles to hold on tight and then he gripped the reigns of the horses and the cart took off. Erik watched as the cart moved down the hill, travelling very fast, and the strange contraption that Charles was strapped to began to lift off. Erik’s eyes widened in fear as the younger man began to fly higher and higher up into the sky with nothing more than a single rope to keep him tethered.

Erik’s breath caught in his throat as he hoped nothing would go wrong. The cart was moving very fast and Charles was moving higher and higher. There had been no mistaking the look of fear in Charles’s deep blue eyes when the artist had strapped him in.  
Now as he travelled higher and higher, Erik could practically feel the fear Charles was experiencing… It was as though Charles’s fear was inside Erik’s own head and it scared him.

He looked at the cart and could tell something was wrong. The artist was looking concerned and trying his hardest to control the rope, to try and bring Charles back down but the young man kept moving higher.  
The fear was pulsing inside him and Erik wanted to run after the cart, to leap on board and yank on the ropes to bring Charles easily down to the ground.

‘Let me down’ Erik could hear Charles’s pleas though he wasn’t sure how. Charles was really high above him now and he wasn’t screaming aloud.  
‘Please? Help me!’ Erik heard another cry.

He cast another glance at Leonardo who was still frantically trying to fix whatever he’d miscalculated. Erik squeezed his hands into fists and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and tried to mentally feel the device Charles was tied to. Once he felt the metal pieces holding it together he opened his eyes and stared up into the sky.  
Erik cocked his finger, manipulating the metal and causing the device to halt in mid-air. The cart and horses continued to run but Charles was no longer moving further away from the ground.  
Trying hard to concentrate yet not look like he was concentrating, Erik began to manipulate the device and slowly control its decent back down towards the ground.

He could still hear Charles in his head, begging and pleading for it to be over soon. Erik had never felt such protectiveness of another person before and was determine to control his abilities in order to safely bring Charles back to him.

Charles was still a few feet off the ground when Erik realized he’d been so focused on controlling the decent that he’d not been watching where the cart was. Da Vinci tried to rein the horses but Erik was forced to leap out of its path. By doing so, he lost control of his ability and the flying contraption fell the last few feet to the ground.

Both Leonardo and Erik ran to check on Charles. He was conscious but still tied into the device.  
“Get me out of this thing, please?” Charles begged. They could both hear the tears in his voice.  
Da Vinci fought with the knots and quickly managed to untie Charles. Erik hastily checked him for injuries, like broken bones but Charles insisted nothing was damaged.

“Oh Charles” Leonardo said. “I’m so sorry. I honestly believed it would work this time”  
“Next time be reckless with your own life and not someone else’s” Erik snapped. He’d somehow managed to wrap his arms around Charles, protectively, but the younger man wasn’t attempting to pull away.  
“I’m sorry, it was an unfortunate miscalculation”

“I’m going to take him back to town on my horse” Erik insisted. “You can clean this up”  
“You don’t give the orders around here” Leonardo replied.  
“I don’t endanger people’s lives”

Erik carefully scooped Charles up into his arms. He then carried the younger man towards his horse. He never once looked back at the artist. Right now he could care less about being paid or posing for Da Vinci again. All he cared about was getting Charles back to Florence and having a healer examine him.

He helped Charles onto his horse then he carefully climbed up behind him. He wrapped his arms around the younger man to grip the reigns. Within minutes they were on their way back to the city. Charles closed his eyes and leaned back against Erik’s body.

“You’re not falling asleep on me, are you?” Erik asked.  
“No” Charles yawned. “Did the maestro pay you up front for today’s sitting?”  
“Uh… No”  
“I’m sorry to say you may not get paid then”  
“That’s okay”  
“No, it’s not… You shouldn’t have to miss payment on my account”  
“And you shouldn’t risk breaking your neck on his account”  
“I’ve tested many of his inventions before”  
“And do all of them nearly kill you?”  
“No, not all of them”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Erik asked.  
“I’ll be fine” Charles replied. “There was something… different about today’s test”  
“Oh? Different how?”  
“I’m not sure… It just, felt different… For a minute I was just floating there and everything was fine and then it was like something was easing me back to solid ground”  
“Really? What do you think it was?”  
“I don’t know”  
Erik smiled, knowing his actions may have just saved Charles’s life.

“So have you been with Da Vinci very long?” Erik asked, changing the subject.  
“Uh… Little more than a year” Charles replied.  
“Really?”  
“Yes”  
“And you’re his assistant?”  
“You sound surprised by that”  
“Well… I mean no disrespect but aren’t you a little old..er than most assistants?”  
“I guess so but he was insistent… He didn’t want anyone else”  
“He only wanted you?”

Charles felt his cheeks flushing and was very thankful that Erik was behind him on the horse. He realized how this conversation sounded and immediately wanted to explain.

“The maestro is… different than other artists” Charles began.  
“Clearly” Erik agreed. “He’s definitely eccentric”  
“No, it’s not that… I mean, yes he is but that’s not what I meant. He… He has this talent”  
“He truly is gifted” Erik had to agree.  
“No… I mean yes but… Can we stop for a minute?”  
“Are you alright?” Erik’s voice immediately filled with concern. “Are you feeling dizzy or ill?”  
“I’m okay” Charles replied. “I just need to stop for a moment”

Erik urged the horse off the track before climbing down. He tied the reins to a tree branch before holding his arms out to help Charles down. The younger man slid into his arms with such ease. It felt so right, how easily and perfectly Charles felt in his embrace. He was reluctant to let him go but he helped him over to a fallen tree stump.

“Are you sure you don’t feel dizzy?” Erik asked.  
“I don’t” Charles replied. “Honestly… Why are you so concerned for my health? We’ve only just met”  
“I can’t explain it, really… I just, I’ve never witnessed anything like that before… You know, one man being so careless with another man’s life”  
“The maestro isn’t careless”  
“It’s nice of you to defend him”  
“I trust him and I know he believes he’s doing the right thing”  
“You care about him”  
“He looks out for me”  
“When he’s not trying to kill you, you mean?”

“I was alone” Charles admitted. “No family and no where to go… I ended up on the streets… Doing odd jobs here and there and not always for money either. Sometimes I did it for food”  
“And he found you?”  
“He saw me on the street and…” he hesitated. Charles raised his hand to his head and gently rubbed his forehead. He pressed his finger to his temple and dared to sneak a peek into Erik’s mind. The older man was hanging onto his every word. “Da Vinci has a gift… He can *see* other people with gifts”  
“I don’t understand” Erik sounded puzzled.  
“I… I think you must have a special gift… One that you’ve not shared with many people, if any… But the maestro can see it… He surrounds himself with people who are gifted”

“You… You have a gift?” Erik asked.  
“I do” Charles replied. “And the maestro is one of very few people who know about it”  
“But you’re telling me?”  
“Because you must have one too… Maestro likes to get to know people who are gifted and learn what he can about them and their gifts. I know he’s mentioned you a few times so today wasn’t the first time he’s drawn you… For him to keep coming back, you must have a gift”

Erik smiled at Charles’s perceptiveness.  
“What is your gift?” he asked. He didn’t confirm or deny Charles’s accusation.  
“I… I can hear what people are thinking… in their minds”  
“You can hear my thoughts?”  
“If I try… I can listen to thoughts without anyone knowing”

“Prove it” Erik insisted.  
“Think of something” Charles said. “A number… between one and fifty”  
Erik cocked his eyebrow with an amused smile on his face.  
“Please?” Charles asked.  
“Do I have to close my eyes or anything?”  
“Only if you want to”  
“So… A number?”  
“Yes”

Erik sighed and started to think of a number. Charles watched him for a moment. The older man nodded his head. He found himself gazing into Charles’s deep blue eyes while the younger man appeared to be staring right into his soul.  
As he stared into the breathtaking blue orbs, all thoughts of numbers vanished from his mind and all he could think about was how desperately he longed to kiss those beautiful lips.

“Forty nine” Charles said, very matter-of-factly.  
“What?” Erik replied, Charles’s voice having interrupted his fantasy.  
“The number you were thinking… forty nine”  
“Uh yeah… You’re right”  
“So you believe me?”  
“I think we should try again… I’ll think of something and you tell me what it is”  
“Okay”  
“Close your eyes”  
“Why?”  
“Just do it, please?”

Charles looked slightly hesitant but he closed his eyes anyway. Erik sat before him, staring at Charles’s face. Then he closed his own eyes and he could see himself in his mind, reaching up and gently touching Charles’s cheek before leaning in and claiming his mouth in a deep, passionate kiss.  
He opened his eyes when he heard a low whimper pass Charles’s lips. He wasn’t sure if he’d imagine it or if Charles had actually made that beautiful sound himself.

Then Charles opened his eyes and stared at Erik. The younger man was blushing; his blue eyes were open wide in surprise.  
“What did you see?” Erik asked him. His voice was low, almost husky.  
“I… I…” Charles stammered before his lips formed a wide smile. “I’m not sure… I think I might need to see it again”

Erik smiled in return before he slowly reached up and placed his hand upon Charles’s cheek. His movements were slow to give Charles time to pull away if he had any reservations. He leaned in, closing the space between them and gently brought their lips together in a chaste kiss.  
He pulled away quickly; uncertainty showing on his face but Charles merely smiled at him then leaned forward for another kiss.  
This one was much more involved. Erik’s hand slid around Charles’s neck while Charles found himself reaching for Erik’s waist. Their lips came together, mouths open and tongues dancing together. Erik dominated the embrace, his tongue invading Charles’s mouth while the younger man whimpered in delight.  
It was better than Erik had imagined it to be. Charles tasted unlike anything else Erik had ever indulged in and his body felt like it was made to be claimed by Erik’s.

They broke apart after several intense moments. Charles was panting for breath as he rested his forehead against Erik’s.  
“I’ve never…” Charles murmured.  
“Never what?” Erik asked, slightly out of breath himself.  
“Never… kissed another man before”  
“What? You… You haven’t?”  
Charles shook his head, almost embarrassed. 

“But… Da Vinci?” Erik asked. He was surprised Charles had been with the maestro for nearly a year and never shared his bed.  
“We didn’t want to mix business and pleasure” Charles replied.  
“Has he ever drawn you?” Charles shook his head again. “So your relationship is purely professional?”  
“We work together and have become friends because of it”

Erik leaned back, resting his back against a large tree trunk. He looked at Charles with a new sense of admiration. How the young man could spend so much time in Da Vinci’s company and not want to sleep with him baffled Erik. He’d only known the artist a couple of weeks but had ended up in his bed within days of their first meeting.

“Charles?” Erik began. The younger man looked up at him. “If you don’t want me to kiss you again, just say the word and-”  
His words were cut off by Charles lunging towards him and capturing his lips with another kiss. The younger man settled himself in Erik’s lap, ensuring they were both in a comfortable position before resuming their kiss. Erik wrapped his arms around Charles and held his body close while they kissed.

Time slipped away from them as they took their time, kissing and caressing each other. Erik dared to slide his hand under Charles’s shirt but he didn’t push any further. He wasn’t stupid, he was the first man Charles had ever kissed which meant the younger man had no sexual experience with men either. Erik didn’t want to spoil this for Charles.

It wasn’t until Erik’s horse began to get restless and started to whine, that the two men finally stopped. Charles’s hair was a mess from Erik’s finger’s curling their way through his locks and the younger man’s lips were practically swollen from being thoroughly kissed. Erik tried not to laugh. His heart swelled with pride… Knowing that Charles looked like that because *he’d* done that to him.  
They made their way back to the horse in comfortable silence. Then Erik helped Charles up onto the horses back and climbed up behind him. He wrapped his arms around Charles to grip the reins.

“How are you feeling now?” Erik finally asked.  
“I can’t remember the last time I felt this happy” Charles replied. Erik laughed.  
“I was talking about your mishap with that contraption”  
“Oh” Charles blushed. “I’d uh sort of forgotten all about it”  
Erik leaned forward and placed a single kiss to Charles’s neck.  
“Good” he replied. “I’d hate for you to have a lingering head injury and forget what we just did”  
“I’d never forget that, Erik… I swear”  
“Neither will I”

They continued the journey back to town. Neither of them said much during the ride as they were both remembering what it felt like to hold the other in their arms. Before they knew it, Erik had navigated the streets and found a local healer. He took Charles inside and explained that his friend had fallen from his horse and needed to be checked over.  
Once certain Charles had no serious injuries, Erik realized he had to take Charles back to the maestro but he wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

It was getting late so he suggested they have a meal together. Charles agreed, also not ready for his time with Erik to come to an end. They went to the local drinking establishment and were served by Vanessa. She looked relieved to see Charles in one piece, having known Da Vinci had planned to test his latest invention that afternoon. She also gave Erik an approving nod and a wink to Charles behind Erik’s back. Charles had blushed at that but he knew Vanessa was only teasing.

They talked while they ate. Charles told Erik about his time on the streets and how desperate he’d become to earn a living. Erik told Charles how he’d come to be in Florence after traveling through a vast amount of cities, each more fascinating than the last. Charles didn’t ask how long Erik intended to stay in Florence and the older man didn’t offer any suggestions on when he planned to leave.

Charles had finished eating when Da Vinci sat down at the table beside him.

“Charles?” Leonardo greeted him. “I’ve been looking for you for hours. Are you alright? Zo said he hadn’t seen you and neither had Vanessa”  
“I’m fine, Maestro” Charles replied. “Erik was taking care of me”  
“I took him to a healer” Erik added. “He’s okay, no thanks to you”  
“Please don’t start” Charles warned them both.

“I apologize for leaving during our session” Erik said to Leo. “But not for my reasoning behind it. I would think you would hold more value in your assistant’s life”  
“I do value Charles’s life” Leo replied. “But I also believe in trying new things and testing new theories”  
“No matter who gets hurt in the process?”  
“Erik” Charles shook his head. “Maestro, please don’t be mad at Erik and please don’t not pay him because of me”  
“Charles, Erik will get paid once I get my money’s worth out of him… In fact, why don’t you come back to the studio with me right now?”  
“Isn’t it a bit late to be drawing, maestro?”  
“It’s never too late to create art, Charles… Or other things”

Charles felt a sense of unease wash over him. He’d seen that look in Da Vinci’s eyes before. It usually meant that Charles wasn’t needed in the studio because Da Vinci needed privacy… to bed his subject.  
The idea of Erik and Leo together sent a wave of jealousy through Charles’s body but also a tiny wave of lust. Both Erik and Leo were very attractive men. Charles could only imagine what the two of them together would be like. 

“Charles, I need you to find Zo” Leo said to him. “He needs your help on an errand tonight”  
Charles held back a sigh. An errand with Zoroaster usually took all night and meant hiding or running from the night watchmen. The last thing he needed was to be questioned by Captain Dragonetti until morning.

It was with a heavy heart that Charles climbed to his feet. He didn’t want to leave but he couldn’t disobey a direct request from the maestro. Charles said goodnight to Erik while his eyes said more than words ever could.  
‘I wish I didn’t have to go’ Charles’s voice was in Erik’s head. ‘I loved every minute of being with you today and I do hope I’ll get to see you again’

As Charles made his way towards the door, he could feel Erik’s eyes on him and he forced himself not to turn around. He longed to run back to the table and kiss Erik goodbye but he couldn’t do that. He didn’t want the maestro to know of his attraction to Erik.

“Charles?”  
He turned around and found Vanessa standing behind him.  
“Vanessa” he greeted her.  
“Where in Florence did you find him?” she asked.  
“Maestro was sketching his portrait today” he replied.  
“Leo always had great taste”  
“You think the two of them are….?” He couldn’t bring himself to say it.  
“Charles, you’re not that naïve… or is that jealousy?”  
“Shhhhh”  
“Oh my, Charles! Really? You’ve got a crush on him? Not that I blame you, he’s gorgeous”  
“Vanessa, please don’t say anything”  
“I won’t. I promise… But good for you, Charles. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone finally caught your eye”

She turned on her heel and walked away. Charles cast one final glance back at the table where Leo and Erik were sitting together. He heard Erik’s voice in his head saying ‘Goodnight, Charles. I’ll see you tomorrow’  
He smiled to himself then stepped outside and into the street to go looking for Zo and whatever wild goose chase his maestro was sending them on tonight.

*****

It was nearing dawn when Charles returned to the maestro’s workshop. He was exhausted as he slowly dragged himself up the narrow staircase. Da Vinci’s studio was dark as he sneaked his way past the artist’s bed. He couldn’t tell if the maestro was buried under the sheets or not.  
Charles quietly made his way past the large bed and edged his way towards the small staircase in the back which led to his own small sleeping quarters.  
He pushed the door closed behind him and kicked off his boots. All he wanted to do was collapse on his sleeping pallet but when he turned around he held back a shout.  
Someone was sleeping on his bed. Erik!

‘Erik?’ Charles whispered into the older man’s mind.  
Erik jerked awake and sat up, looking at Charles with tired eyes.  
“Charles?” Erik’s voice was laced with sleep. “Are you just getting back now?”  
“Yes” Charles stifled a yawn. “What are you doing here?”

Erik stood up and walked over to the younger man. He carefully wrapped his arms around Charles’s waist.  
“Leonardo finished early” Erik explained. “Then he said something about taking his medicine… So I decided to sneak in here and wait for you to come back but I guess I fell asleep”

Charles hesitated. He wanted to ask what he meant by ‘finished early’ but he didn’t want to hear the details. Erik was a grown man and had every right to sleep with whomever he wished.  
He couldn’t believe Erik had wanted to see him so badly that he’d risked venturing into his sleeping quarters. Charles was torn by his desire to push Erik down on the pallet and kiss him versus his desperate need for a shower. He was covered in dirt thanks to the holes Zo had had him digging.

The younger man reached up to place his hand on Erik’s cheek but the older man stopped him. He grabbed Charles’s wrist and examined his hand.  
“Charles, are you injured?” Erik asked him.  
“Uh” he tried to snatch his hand away. He’d forgotten about the bandage.  
“Charles, this looks like blood”  
“I cut myself… on a shovel”  
“It needs to be cleaned and treated properly”  
“I can do it later”  
“Charles, please? Let me look after you”

Erik’s words made Charles feel weak in the knees. He reluctantly agreed and quietly led Erik down the stairs to the main workshop. They found a basin of clean water and a fresh bandage. Erik pulled up a chair and lifted Charles up onto the workbench. He carefully removed the bandage from Charles’s hand then leaned down and gently kissed the cut. He could taste the lingering metal from the shovel but didn’t say anything. Erik took his time to clean away the dirt and dried blood then he wrapped a clean bandage around Charles’s hand.

As soon as he’d finished, Erik put the water aside then returned to Charles, placing himself before the younger man. Charles parted his legs and Erik took a step towards him. Charles placed both hands on Erik’s face, cupping his cheeks and leaning forward to kiss him. In turn, Erik slid his arms around Charles’s waist.  
But it wasn’t enough. Erik wanted more. He wanted to be closer to Charles. He pushed the younger man back on the workbench and climbed on top of him, covering the smaller man’s body with his own. Charles didn’t even break their kiss but he whimpered into Erik’s mouth as the older man brought their bodies closer together.

“I want you, Charles” Erik whispered between kisses.  
“I’m yours, Erik” Charles replied. “Take me, please?”

Erik broke away and looked down at the beautiful man beneath him. He reached up and gently brushed a lock of Charles’s hair from his face.  
“No” Erik said, his voice gentle. “Not like this”  
“Erik?” Charles was confused.  
“I want your first time to be special”  
“My first…?”

Charles sat up, looking at Erik in confusion. The older man stared back at him with an equally confused expression on his face.

“You… You think I’m a…?” Charles stammered.  
“Forgive me, Charles” Erik said as he took a step back. “But you said you’d never kissed a man before so I… I assumed you’ve never been with one before either”

The younger man averted his eyes and stared down at his hands.  
“I was on the streets because I ran away from home” Charles admitted. “It’s not something I like to talk about”  
“You don’t have to-”  
“I want to… I want you to know… My father died when I was four. My mother remarried when I was nine. I gained a step-father and two step-brothers. My step-father started touching me when I was ten… My step-brothers waited until I was fourteen…” he looked up and met Erik’s eyes. “Just because none of them kissed me, doesn’t mean I don’t have experience”

Erik didn’t say a word. He merely reached up and brushed the tears from Charles’s face before wrapping his arms around him in a strong embrace.  
“I’m sorry, Charles” Erik whispered. “I’ll never assume anything about you ever again”  
“I still want you, Erik” Charles replied. “That is… if you still want me”  
Erik responded by capturing Charles’s lips in a deep kiss.

They broke apart to draw breath and Charles gave an involuntary yawn.  
“I’m sorry, Charles” Erik apologized. “You’ve been up all night. You need to rest. I’ll come back in a few hours, okay?”  
“You promise?”  
“I promise”

Charles smiled and slid off the workbench. He allowed Erik to take him in his arms one more time and kiss him goodbye then he reluctantly headed back upstairs to get some sleep. He didn’t even hear Erik leave. Charles fell onto his sleeping pallet and closed his eyes. He fell asleep within minutes, his dreams filled with images of being with Erik.

*****

Several hours later Charles came down to the workroom and found Da Vinci sitting at the workbench… the same workbench he and Erik had kissed on. He knew he’d never look at the bench the same way again. Charles didn’t bother to say good morning to Leonardo as the older man was hastily sketching away on a parchment and wasn’t likely to hear him.  
Charles dared to sneak a peek at what the artist was working on and his eyes widened in awe. The image was of Erik. It was a perfect likeness of the older man. From his expressive eyes to his hard jaw, his toned chest and hard nipples, the fine layer of chest chair that led down to his navel. Charles quickly looked away. 

“Don’t be embarrassed, Charles” Leo said to him, mistaking Charles’s hesitation. “The male body is fascinating… As is the female’s”  
“It’s not that, maestro” Charles replied. “It just… Feels like an invasion of privacy”  
“It’s all perfectly consensual, Charles. You know I pay my subjects very well for letting me study their form”  
“Since when is ‘studying’ them all you do?”

Charles hadn’t meant to sound snarky but the idea of Da Vinci studying Erik’s body so intensely made him feel jealous.  
“You know I tire of some subjects sooner than others” Da Vinci replied.  
“Like him?” Charles asked as he pointed to one of the sketches.  
“Since when do my sexual habits interest you?”  
“They don’t… I just… You seem to have quite a few sketches of him and that’s not like you… to focus on one person too long”

“His penis fascinates me” Da Vinci stated.  
Charles was in the process of having a drink and choked. He coughed and spluttered, trying to clear his airwaves.  
“His…?” Charles stared at him in shock.  
“Yes, his penis, Charles. I’ve never seen one so big before”

He held up a sketch for Charles to look at. The entire parchment was an image of an erect penis… Erik’s penis. Charles couldn’t believe it nor could he tear his eyes away from it.

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, unsure if he was meant to say something or not. Da Vinci was watching him very closely, obviously waiting for some kind of comment from the younger man.

“Well?” he asked.  
“Well what?” Charles replied. He still didn’t know what to say, nor had his eyes left the parchment.  
“Have you ever seen anything like it?”  
“I uh…” Charles felt himself blushing. The only time he’d seen naked men was when Verrocchio allowed models to pose in his studio. “No… I can’t say I have”  
“I just can’t seem to get the shading correct… I think Erik is getting impatient with me”  
“Impatient?”  
“I don’t think he’s used to only being looked at, not touched”

Charles swallowed nervously but his heart skipped a beat. Did that mean Erik had merely posed for the artist the previous night?  
“So you…” Charles hesitated. “You haven’t… with him then?”  
Da Vinci laughed and threw his arm around Charles’s shoulder.  
“I like being able to walk, thank you” Da Vinci replied. “That’s not to say we haven’t had other amusements”

On that note, Da Vinci turned on his heel and swept out of the workroom. Charles remained in place, not wanting his mind to linger on what the two men had done for ‘amusement’. He wasn’t even sure where these feelings of jealousy were coming from. He’d known Erik less than a day; it wasn’t like he was falling in love with him or anything…  
He reached out and picked up one of the rough sketches. Charles shoved the parchment into his pocket before hurrying after the artist.

*****

There was a mass celebration in the city that night. The Medici’s had gone all out to put on an extravagant party. People were lining the streets, dressed in exquisite or very little clothing. Rum and mead flowed freely. Prostitutes and aristocrats passed each other in the street, celebrating together despite their proper stations.  
Leonardo, Charles, Zoroster and Vanessa celebrated with their fellow citizens. As the colombina was released and the fireworks exploded over head, Charles felt something brush his hand. He turned and found Erik standing by his side. His companions were all staring up at the sky, admiring the myriad of colours from the firework display. None of them noticed when he slipped away into the crowd of people.  
Erik held Charles’s hand tightly as he led the younger man through the throng of people and down the street. Once free of the crowd, Erik stepped behind an empty stall and pushed Charles up against the wall. Their lips came together and they kissed while the fireworks continued above them.

‘Been dreaming of this all day’ Charles heard Erik’s voice in his head.  
‘Me too’ Charles replied.  
‘You smell better than you did this morning’  
Charles laughed into their kiss which made Erik pull away and look at him.  
“I’m sorry, Erik” Charles said. “But you’re complimenting me on my smell?”  
“Well I would compliment your body” Erik replied. “But I’ve not had the privilege of admiring it yet”  
“Maestro will be out celebrating all night… The workshop will be empty”

Erik reached up and placed his hand upon Charles’s cheek, gazing down into the younger man’s deep blue eyes.  
“I’d like that” Erik whispered. “But only if you want it too”  
“I want to be with you, Erik” Charles replied before kissing him.

They reluctantly parted and Charles took a shortcut back to the studio.  
The two men went inside and Erik was surprised to find it deserted. Every one in Florence must be out on the streets celebrating whatever festival or party was being held.  
Charles took Erik into the workshop and up the stairs towards his sleeping quarters. He stopped when he reached the maestro’s upstairs workshop

“Is something wrong, Charles?” Erik asked, confused by the other man’s hesitation.  
“The Maestro should be out all night” Charles replied. “And his bed is right here… unused”  
“Well, in that case…” Erik trailed off and scooped Charles into his arms, kissing him with such intensity that he took Charles’s breath away.

Having slept on Charles’s bed the night before, Erik was able to appreciate the slightly finer furniture and bed in this room. He carried Charles across the room and carefully deposited him on top of the sheets. Charles immediately reached for Erik and pulled the older man down on top of him. He loved the feeling of Erik’s body covering his own.

As they kissed, their hands began to explore the other’s body. Charles had seen Da Vinci’s sketches of Erik but they didn’t compare to the actual thing. His heart skipped a beat as he remembered the image of Erik’s very large cock. He lay back as Erik removed his shirt, his hands and lips exploring Charles’s naked chest.  
Charles pushed aside all other thoughts, especially the ones of his step-father and step-brother’s. All that mattered now was being with Erik. No one had ever taken such care of him with the kissing and caressing. It felt like Erik was determined to claim every inch of Charles’s skin.

In truth, it had been a long time since someone had so willingly given themselves to Erik without expecting payment in return. And knowing there was no limit to their time together, that he could take his time to fully explore all that Charles had to offer him. He wanted this to last all night. He wanted Charles to feel loved and appreciated. He wanted to make this as enjoyable for the younger man as he possibly could.

It helped that Charles appeared to lose control of his abilities as he became more and more aroused. He projected his feelings onto Erik and the older man felt everything Charles did… So he knew what the younger man liked and what he *really* liked.

 

His treatment of Charles’s cock drove the younger man almost out of his mind. Charles had never had someone do that to him before and when he finally came, shooting his seed into Erik’s mouth, he found himself blinking back tears. Erik climbed back up the bed and kissed the tears away before taking Charles into his arms and kissing him firmly on the lips.

They’d barely gotten started but Charles was already spent, his eyes struggling to stay open. Erik brushed his fingers through Charles’s soft hair until the younger man drifted off to sleep. Then he simply lay beside him, watching over him and whispering words of love in his ear.

Charles didn’t rest for long. He awoke about half an hour later and was surprised to find himself still wrapped in Erik’s arms. He’d half expected to awaken alone but when Erik smiled at him, he instantly hated himself for having any doubts.  
They resumed their kissing until Charles began to get restless. He made several attempts to slide his hand inside Erik’s pants but the older man kept brushing him aside.

“I saw the maestro’s drawings” Charles said to him.  
“Of me?” Erik replied.  
“Of your…”  
“My cock”  
“He… He’s fascinated by the size of it”  
“Most people are”  
“May I… May I see it?”

There was something about the innocence in Charles’s voice, the nervousness of the question, the slight apprehension that made Erik want to laugh. 

“Oh, Charles” Erik whispered. He found the younger man so endearing.  
He slowly removed his pants. His eyes never once left Charles’s face as he wanted to see Charles see him for the first time. Erik wasn’t disappointed by Charles’s reaction.

“Can I…” Charles bit his lip. “May I touch you?”  
“Please?” Erik replied.

The younger man’s hand was trembling as he reached for Erik’s hard member. The second his finger’s wrapped around the shaft, Erik groaned and thrust his hips. Charles took that as a good sign and started to work his hand up and down the shaft. He’d never willingly touched another man down there before but he loved the sounds Erik was making while he worked.

He was tempted to do what Erik had done for him and put it in his mouth but he was afraid he’d choke on the size of it. What a way to die though! He smiled at the random thought.  
Erik was nearing his release. He could feel it coming so he reached down and placed his hand upon Charles’s, asking the younger man to stop.

‘Not yet’ Erik loved being able to non-verbally communicate with Charles.  
‘Did I do something wrong?’ Charles replied.  
‘No’ he leaned forward and kissed him as deeply as he could. ‘It’s just that I…’

“I want to be inside you, Charles” Erik said.  
The younger man’s eyes widened yet his mouth broke into a wide smile. He liked the sound of that. He’d longed to hear those words ever since he’d seen Da Vinci’s sketch that morning.

“But only if you’re ready for this, Charles” Erik added. “I don’t want you to feel that I’m rushing you”  
“No, I want you to” Charles replied. “I… I want to feel you inside me. It’s just that… it’s been awhile”  
“I promise, I’ll be as gentle as I can”  
He sounded so sincere that Charles couldn’t resist kissing him.

Erik took his time, preparing Charles and whispering words of love to him while he worked. Before long, he was slowly entering the younger man’s body. Charles lay on his back, staring up at Erik with nothing but love and trust in his eyes, as Erik inched his way inside him.  
Erik’s cock was huge and Charles winced but didn’t cry out at the violation. It didn’t take long for Erik to bury himself completely inside Charles. The younger man wanted to scream out loud. He’d never felt anything like it before in his life. Yes, it hurt like crazy but he felt so full that he didn’t ever want Erik to pull out.  
Then they started to move together as one and Charles couldn’t hold back any longer. The cries of pleasure that passed his lips just turned Erik on and encouraged him to thrust harder and deeper.

When he found Charles’s sweet spot, the younger man really did cry so he made an effort to strike that same spot with every thrust. Within minutes Charles was reduced to a whimpering mess. He fisted the sheets, he moaned, he cried, he writhed and he thrust. He stared into Erik’s eyes and told the older man he loved him. He blinked back tears when Erik replied in turn with the same sentiment.

Erik wrapped his hand around Charles’s cock and worked him to completion one more time. The sight of Charles shooting his load a second time was what sent Erik to the brink and caused him to come, filling Charles’s ass with his seed.  
They both collapsed in a sweaty, tired mess on Da Vinci’s bed. They were panting for breath, Charles felt completely and utterly exhausted. He felt sticky and not to mention wet inside but he was also happy. He couldn’t ever remember feeling so happy before in his entire life… Especially when Erik reached up, cupped his cheek and kissed him.

“Thank you, Charles” Erik whispered.  
Charles thought his heart would burst out of his chest. He was still smiling when he drifted off to sleep.

*****

Da Vinci had been correct in assuming that taking Erik’s cock would make it difficult to walk. Charles spent the following day in bed, telling Da Vinci he was suffering from having drunk too much wine the night before. He staggered around the workshop that evening and the maestro assumed it was just the lingering effects of the alcohol. 

If anyone suspected there was something going on between Erik and Charles, no one voiced their suspicions to either involved.  
Erik was careful not to spend too much time around Verrocchio’s studio though he did pose for a few of the other artists who were employed there which gave him an excuse to visit the studio. He took every opportunity he could to be alone with Charles, even if all they could manage was a quick kiss.

Erik quickly discovered the younger man had a very skilled tongue. Sometimes he’d catch a glimpse of Charles in the workshop, subtly licking his lips, and Erik’s cock would instantly harden.  
Fortunately, Da Vinci’s own interest in Erik seemed to have faded so Charles didn’t get as jealous anymore. Though a part of him was still curious as to what had transpired between the two of them before Erik had met Charles. The younger man was still too shy to raise the question. He was terrified he’d learn the two men had slept together… Yet he wasn’t naïve enough to believe nothing had happened between them. He just knew he wasn’t ready to know the truth yet. 

One afternoon, Erik was posing along with several other models in the studio when Verrocchio suggested they take a break for lunch. Erik had seen Charles milling about and went searching for him. He sneaked into the workshop where Charles was sorting supplies and wrapped his arms around the younger man. He used his gifts to push the door closed in case someone came back and saw them.  
Charles turned around and wrapped his arms around Erik. The older man picked him up and set him down on the workbench. Their lips came together and Erik thrust his hips against Charles’s thigh.

“We don’t have long” Erik said between kisses.  
“Then what are you waiting for?” Charles replied. “Just fuck me already!”  
Erik growled in excitement and hastily removed Charles’s pants. He lowered his own and climbed onto the workbench. He parted the younger man’s legs and kissed him firmly as his cock breached Charles.

*

Leonardo made his way down the stairs to his workshop, wondering what was taking Charles so long. He was about half way down the steps when he stopped and stared at the sight before him.  
His eyes swept the room, taking in everything he saw. Charles on his back on the workbench… Erik towering above him. The older man was thrusting quite aggressively inside Charles.

At first, he truly believed Erik was forcing himself upon Charles and that the younger man was an unwilling participant. He quickly looked around the room for a weapon of some kind to use on Erik but then he heard Charles moan the older man’s name. He stopped and his eyes once again focused on the two men.  
He watched as Charles threw his arms around Erik and pulled him towards him for a kiss. There was a tenderness, a closeness between the two men that made him want to keep watching.

Leonardo reached into his back pocket and pulled out his sketchbook. He picked up a pencil and quickly began to draw the scene before him. His eyes never once left the couple, watching the way they moved together as one. When he heard Charles whimper, he smiled. The kiss Erik placed upon Charles’s lips was one of the most tender Leonardo had ever witnessed. He continued to draw them, unable to stop himself.

The door to the studio burst open and Verrocchio barged in.  
“Leonardo, have you seen…?” His question already answered, he broke off in mid-sentence. The older man was shocked beyond words at what he was seeing.  
His eyes took in the sight of the two men on the bench and Leonardo standing on the back stairs, also watching them.

Charles’s entire body turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment at being caught by both Verrocchio and Leonardo. Without thinking, he peered into both men’s minds and spoke to them.  
‘You didn’t see this’ Charles said, implanting a false memory. ‘You came into the room and found me, alone, sweeping the floor’ he looked at Da Vinci. ‘You told me to carry on and then you decided you wanted a drink so you’re going to leave now’

“Good job, Charles” Da Vinci said to him. “I’m going to The Barking Dog. Join me for a drink when you’re finished here”  
Then he swept past the couple and ushered Verrocchio back into the main studio. 

Erik slammed and locked the door behind them both then looked down at Charles.  
“What just happened?” he asked.  
“Its okay” Charles replied. “I erased the memory from their minds. They won’t remember seeing us”  
“You can do that? Completely erase an image from someone’s mind?”  
“I can”  
“That’s a relief”  
“So… Have you lost momentum or are we going to finish this?”  
Erik responded by kissing Charles.

*****

When he reached the Barking Dog, Leonardo was greeted by Vanessa who immediately brought him a drink. She sat down at the table with him while he drank.

“Leo, are you okay?” Vanessa asked him.  
“To be honest, I’m not sure” he replied. “I feel… hazy”  
“What? Is Charles playing tricks on you again?”  
“I shouldn’t think so”  
“Do you want me to check?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Vanessa reached out and placed her hands on either side of Leo’s face then closed her eyes. A moment later she opened them and looked at him.  
“Yes” Vanessa replied. “You’ve got a cloud in your head”  
“But why on earth would he do that?”  
“Oh Leo, let him have his fun”  
“Charles never uses his gifts on me”  
“Which means he must have had good reason…” she couldn’t help thinking it must have had something to do with the attractive man she’d seen Charles with a lot lately.  
“It’s just not like him is all” Leo finished very weakly.

Vanessa shrugged and stood up. He watched her walk away then he reached into his pocket and retrieved his notebook. There was a pretty young woman sitting by the fire that he wanted to sketch.  
He flipped through the pages and stopped on the last rough sketch he’d drawn. He stared at it in mild fascination. It wasn’t like him to not remember sketching something and he couldn’t help wondering what had possibly transpired to make him sketch something as crazy as that.

*****

When neither Leonardo nor Verrocchio made any indication of remembering what they’d witnessed in the workroom, Charles assumed he’d successfully manipulated both their memories. He’d never tried it on more than one person at a time so he was very relieved to see it had worked.  
But the near-miss was just the wake up call they’d needed and the two men decided to take more precautions. They were much more careful in the studio. They still sneaked the occasional kiss and shared secret smiles or non-verbal conversations thanks to Charles’s special gift.

Having been confused by his sketch, Leonardo took to spying on the two men but given the precautions they had started taking he didn’t see them together at all. It only made him all the more curious as to why he’d randomly decide to sketch his assistant having sex.

Charles had the afternoon to himself so he and Erik packed a picnic and left the city limits. They rode the horses a long way out of town and found a secluded spot where they could be alone together. They ate their lunch and lay together in the afternoon sun, holding each other and exchanging loving kisses.  
Charles then took Erik down to the stream where they shed their clothes and swam naked together in the water. Erik took Charles into his arms then leaned down and kissed him. They lazed together in the water, Erik’s hand sought Charles’s cock and he brought him to completion under water. Then Charles begged him to make love to him which Erik was all too happy to comply.

“What brought you to Florence?” Charles asked as they splashed about in the water.  
“I like to travel” Erik replied. “And I’ve been looking for something… Something I hope to find soon”  
“So you intend to leave then?”  
“Yes, I do”  
“When?”  
“I don’t know… Soon… Maybe even tomorrow”  
It had become a not-so-funny joke between the two of them. Erik never gave a straight answer whenever Charles asked him of his plans for the future.

Erik effectively ended the conversation by distracting Charles with kisses.

It was one of the happiest days that Charles could remember.  
He made his way to the shore and climbed out, beads of water rolling off his naked body. He turned and smiled at Erik who grinned back. The way the sunlight was reflecting the water on Charles’s body made Erik all the more eager for round two of their lovemaking.  
Charles picked up an apple and tossed it to Erik who missed it and ducked under the water to find it. The younger man was so busy staring at Erik that he didn’t hear the three bandits approaching them. He wasn’t even aware of their presence until he felt the foreign arm around his waist and the sharp blade digging into his throat.

Erik had ducked under the water for just a moment to find the stray apple Charles had thrown but when he resurfaced, the sight before him made his blood boil.  
Three men dressed in traveling cloaks had surrounded Charles. One had his arm around the younger man and was pressing a blade to his throat. Another man was rifling through their picnic supplies while the third was making his way towards their horses.

“Let him go!” Erik shouted.  
“You stay right there or we’ll slit his pretty neck” the one holding Charles replied.  
“We don’t have any valuables” Charles replied. “Nothing worth stealing”  
“Maybe we don’t want jewels and money” he hissed in Charles’s ear. “Maybe we just want you”

He then slid his hand down Charles’s abdomen and grasped his cock. Charles winced in pain. Erik closed his hands into fists. The anger inside of him was reaching boiling point.

“You just stay right there” the man pilfering food called to Erik. “And we’ll just take our fill of this pretty little thing” he said as he leered at Charles. “Besides, he’s already undressed for the occasion”

Without any warning the knife in that man’s belt flew out of its holder, sailed across the clearing and plunged itself into the other man’s thigh. He let out a pained cry and collapsed on the ground. The knife then dislodged itself and sailed back to its owner, pausing just shy of his neck.  
Erik had started moving towards the shore and the bandits. The injured one was on the ground, trying to slow the bleeding from his leg.

“I said let him go” Erik demanded as he pressed the knife into the man’s throat.  
“Let him go” the other man said to his friend who was still holding Charles. The knife in his own holster began to vibrate before it was pulled clear of its holder. The blade flew across the clearing and stopped barely an inch from the other man’s heart.  
“Let him go!” he shouted to his friend. “They’re not worth it!”

When the other man still refused to relinquish his hold on Charles, Erik manipulated the knife one more time and sent it flying towards his throat. He lodged it up against his neck and slowly began to carve away at his skin. The man gave a pained cry and let go of Charles who immediately ran to Erik’s side.  
He could still feel that man’s hand on him and it made his skin crawl. Erik kept the knives at both men’s necks as they made their way over to the third bandit, the one with the injured leg.

‘Forget our faces’ Charles manipulated all three of them. ‘He fell and cut himself. You never saw us and this never happened’  
The three men disappeared from sight without stealing a single item from Erik or Charles. 

As soon as they were gone from sight, Charles threw himself into Erik’s arms. He was trembling from head to toe as Erik lowered him onto the blanket. He helped Charles get dressed then they sat together, Erik holding Charles in a protective embrace and whispering soothing words to him.

The younger man couldn’t stop shaking despite feeling safe and secure in Erik’s arms. He closed his eyes and could still feel the other man’s hands on his skin.

“I’m so sorry, Charles” Erik whispered.  
“This wasn’t your fault” Charles replied. “Do you think they’d been watching us?”

Erik wasn’t sure what to say. Truthfully they probably had been watching the couple, waiting for the right time to approach them. When Charles had ventured out of the water, alone, they’d chosen that moment to strike. He could still see the man leering at him as he touched Charles and he felt the anger rising inside him.  
Charles could feel the tension in Erik’s embrace and he reached up to touch his face. He brought Erik’s gaze back down to him and softly kissed him.

“Can we head back now?” Charles asked him.  
“Of course” Erik replied.

He reluctantly released Charles and quickly dressed himself. Erik then packed up the remnants of their romantic afternoon and led Charles back to the horses. He helped Charles up onto his horse before mounting his own and the two of them made their way back to the city.  
Charles was very quiet for the long ride. Erik had to look over his shoulder several times to make sure the younger man was still there. Each time he replayed the incident in his mind, he became angry and wished he’d been quicker in his response.  
He should have killed all three of them on the spot for even thinking of doing such awful things to Charles. It scared him how much he cared for the younger man. If he’d not had his abilities he would have been unable to protect Charles and the younger man would have been… He couldn’t bear to think about it.

They were almost back to Florence when Erik led his horse off the path and into nearby brush. Charles followed him without protest. Erik slid off his horse and went to Charles, holding his arms out for him. The younger man slid into Erik’s arms and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of being in Erik’s embrace.

“I have to ask” Erik whispered. “Why didn’t you use your abilities to stop them?”  
“I was scared” Charles shook his head. “I panicked and…” tears filled his eyes. “It didn’t even occur to me that I could”  
“Shhhhhh” Erik tried to soothe him. “It’s okay, Charles. It’s okay”  
“I’m sorry… I should have-”  
“No, I’m sorry… You just need to forget about it. It’s over now”  
Charles nodded his head and drew a deep breath. He opened his eyes when he felt Erik’s hand on his cheek.  
“I should have protected you” Erik said.  
“You stopped them” Charles replied. “That’s all that matters”  
“I wanted to kill them”  
“Erik”  
“I was so angry. I could feel it burning inside of me. The way he touched you… What he implied they intended to do to you”  
“Please, Erik… I… I don’t want to think about it anymore”

Erik leaned down and kissed Charles’s lips. The younger man hesitated before returning the embrace. Erik was the first to pull away.  
“It’s getting late” he said. “Da Vinci will be expecting you”  
Charles nodded in agreement.  
“I’ll walk you; the studio is on my way back anyway” Erik smiled. Charles nodded again.

They climbed back onto the horses and rode the remaining mile back to the city. Erik returned the horses to the stable owner then he walked with Charles back to Verrocchio’s studio. He was tempted to steal a kiss but Verrocchio was watching them so he merely said goodbye and left.  
Charles made his way back into the workshop but was stopped by the older man.

“What were you doing with that man?” Verrocchio asked him.  
“Who? Erik?” Charles replied.  
“Yes, Erik”  
“Nothing, sir… I was at the market and bumped into him. He walked with me as he was on his way elsewhere”  
“Okay”  
“Why do you ask? Do you not like him?”  
“He’s a wanderer, Charles. Never one to stay in one place too long”  
“You say that like it’s a bad thing”  
“When someone is on the move as often as he, one must wonder what he’s running away from”  
“Perhaps he just likes to travel?”  
“No one likes to be on the go… With no roots, no home to go to… What kind of a life is that?”  
“A lonely one I guess”

As Verrocchio walked away, Charles stopped to consider his words. It was true, Erik did say he travelled a lot but the older man was right. What kind of life must he really lead?  
Charles remembered what it was like for him during the months he was on his own, before Da Vinci had taken him in. He couldn’t imagine living day to day with no place to go, no home to return to, no family to worry about you if something were to happen to you… Like today, if those bandits had killed him, Da Vinci would have wondered what happened to him, would probably have even gone looking for him and he most likely would have attempted to track down whomever was responsible.  
He hated the idea of Erik vanishing into the night, never to be seen again, and not one person concerned enough to find him.

*****

A few days passed and Charles didn’t see Erik at all. It pained him how much he missed the older man. He’d become so used to having him around, even if they couldn’t talk or be seen together. Charles liked walking into Verrocchio’s studio and seeing Erik standing there, stunningly stoic and, sometimes, completely naked.  
He remembered one day in particular when he’d seen Erik posing nude with Vanessa. He’d caught her eye and she’d winked at him before indicating with her eyes towards Erik’s cock. Charles had merely grinned back at her and winked in return.

By then he was certain Vanessa knew the true depth of his relationship with Erik and he was grateful that she hadn’t appeared to have told anyone about it. Charles wasn’t even sure why they were still hiding it from his friends. It had been more than six weeks and Charles was sure Da Vinci would have started to suspect something by now.

One evening, Da Vinci was called to the palace to meet with Lorenzo Medici. He left Charles in the workshop with instructions to sort supplies so he would know what they were running short of. The artist hadn’t been gone long when there was a sound at the door. Charles froze. No one knew he was here or that he was alone.  
He instantly feared someone was trying to break in. Visions of being grabbed by the lake filled his head and he backed up against the wall, searching for a place to hide. He grabbed a fire poker and held it firmly in his hand, taking deep breaths and trying to calm his nerves.

The door opened and Charles lunged forward. The metal poker held high above his head, he was ready to bring it down upon the head of the burglar. He froze mid-swing as something unseen held the metal in place.

“Charles?” Erik’s voice was right near his ear.  
“Erik?” Charles breathed a sigh of relief. He felt his body being released from the invisible tether and he realized Erik had used his gift on him to stop him striking him. “Oh, Erik”  
Charles dropped the poker on the ground and threw himself into Erik’s arms.

“Are you alright, Charles?” Erik asked him.  
“I… I thought you were perhaps a burglar” he confessed.  
“Of course… The lake… You’re still on edge”  
“Maestro left me here alone and… I guess I hadn’t realized I was still shaken. I’m glad you’re here though”  
“I’m sorry I haven’t been by sooner”  
“You’re here now”  
“I am… I missed you”  
“I missed you too”  
“I was starting to think that…” Charles averted his eyes.  
“That what?” Erik reached up and gently stroked the younger man’s cheek.  
“That maybe you’d left me… I… I haven’t seen you for days”

“Charles” Erik whispered. He leaned forward and nuzzled his face against the younger man’s neck. “I’m sorry I stayed away so long but I’m here now, I promise”

Their lips came together in a deep kiss. Erik scooped Charles up into his arms and carried the younger man up the stairs to his room. The chores Da Vinci set him already forgotten.

*****

Erik didn’t stay the entire night. He didn’t want to be caught in Charles’s bed so he reluctantly left the warmth of Charles’s body and got dressed. The younger man wrapped the sheet around himself and escorted Erik down the stairs to the workshop.  
They stopped at the base of the stairs and kissed each other goodbye. Erik wrapped his arms around Charles and held him close, breathing in his scent before kissing him one last time.  
Then Charles opened the hidden door at the back of the studio, Erik kissed him again before disappearing out the door. Charles pulled it closed then turned to walk back up the stairs but he froze. Someone was standing in the shadows, watching him.

“Charles?” Da Vinci’s voice was low, confused, surprised.  
“Maestro” Charles gasped as he gripped the sheet covering his body.  
“Oh Charles… Sneaking around in the middle of the night?”  
“I’m sorry, maestro”

Charles lowered his head. He really was sorry. Not just because he’d been caught in the act but because he could hear the disappointment in Leonardo’s voice.

“You and Erik?” he asked.  
“Yes, Maestro” Charles replied.

Da Vinci stepped out of the shadows and moved towards the workbench. He stopped, picked up a bottle and poured two glasses. He pushed one across the table to Charles and sat down with his. The younger man took a few steps and sat down next to Da Vinci, picking the glass up in his hand but not taking a sip.

“How long?” he asked.  
“A few weeks” Charles replied. “Since you introduced us really”  
Leonardo picked up his glass and downed the contents in one swift mouthful.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Charles?” Da Vinci asked. There was sadness in his voice. Charles couldn’t help feeling he’d disappointed the older man.  
“You never asked…” Charles averted his eyes. “You’ve never shown any interest in… what I’ve wanted”  
“Oh Charles… I never meant for you to feel neglected”  
“And I never did… Feel it I mean… It wasn’t until I met Erik that… He makes me feel things I never thought I’d feel”  
“But why didn’t you tell me about you and him?”  
“I guess I was afraid… That you wouldn’t approve”  
“I suppose I’m a fool for not noticing”  
“We kept it well hidden”  
“But *I* should have seen it… I did see it, I just didn’t notice it”

Charles didn’t understand.  
“What do you mean?” he asked.  
“Do you remember when we first met?” Da Vinci poured himself another drink. “And I told you how I was able to see that you were gifted”  
Charles nodded his head.  
“Yes, you said it was like… like a light”  
“Yes a light” he reached out and placed his hand upon Charles’s heart. “A light right here that flickers every so often. It brightens when you use your gifts too… Not just you, I mean when anyone who’s gifted uses their gift… But I think it’s also tied to your emotions and your proximity to other gifted people… For instance when you and Vanessa are in a room together, the light shines just that bit brighter and when you’re happy or excited, it’s like the light is pulsing… These past few weeks, since you’ve been with Erik, it’s like the light inside you just won’t go away… it’s constantly there and I think it’s because you’re in love”

“So when you see Erik, there’s a light in him too?” Charles asked.  
“Not exactly” Leonardo replied. “There’s something different about him… the light is there but it’s weak… it’s like… like something inside him is blocking it… I… I… can’t help feeling there’s a darkness inside him”  
“I think you’re right… I… I’ve seen the darkness”  
“You have?”

He hesitated for a moment but decided it was only fair to tell the whole truth. Charles wouldn’t look at the artist as he told him about the incident with the bandits by the lake. Da Vinci was shocked. At first, he couldn’t believe that someone had tried to hurt Charles but his disbelief quickly turned to disappointment. 

“How could you keep something like that from me?” he asked.  
“I was embarrassed” Charles admitted. “And I… I couldn’t very well tell you without telling you about me and Erik… How else would I explain being naked in the woods… or how I managed to get away?”  
“But Charles, if someone threatens you, I need to know about it”  
“They were just travellers… I erased it from their minds… A part of me wants to remove it from my mind”  
“Why?”  
“I… I saw a different side to Erik. He used his gifts and he hurt them. He used their weapons against them and… I think he would have killed them if they’d succeeded in hurting me”

Leonardo leaned back in the chair, pondering Charles’s words. He wasn’t overly surprised to learn Erik had a darker nature. He was partially shocked that Erik had turned violent in front of Charles but he also couldn’t help feeling slightly touched. Erik’s feelings for Charles must run deep for him to be willing to commit murder in his honour.

“I don’t know why those men wanted me” Charles finally voiced something that had been bothering him ever since the incident.  
“It’s because there’s an innocence and purity about you that makes evil men like that want to possess you… You may not see it, Charles, but your attractiveness makes you a target. If you were employed in a whorehouse you’d be the richest man in town, every man and woman would be fighting over you… That’s why I’ve tried to shield you, to protect you from cruel beings out there who only want to use and hurt you. But maybe I shielded you too much. I never wanted you to be put in a position like that… Have you never wondered why I send Zo with you when I send you on errands?”  
“I always thought it was so his gifts could help us when we got caught”  
“Well, that too” Da Vinci smiled. “But it’s also because I worry about you… I know you have your gifts and you’re not completely helpless but sometimes drunk men work in packs and if they got their hands on you…” he reached out and placed his hand upon Charles’s. “I’m not telling you this to frighten you, I swear, I just want you to know how much I care about you”  
“I understand, Maestro”

“Maestro?” Charles began.  
“Yes, Charles?”  
“Those ‘evil men’ you spoke of… the ones who want to hurt me”  
“Yes?”  
“Do you… Do you think Erik is one of those men?”

He dared to sneak a peek into the older man’s mind, scared of what type of reply he would get.  
“Erik?” Da Vinci thought it over. “I don’t know, Charles… but I certainly hope not”  
“But you do think there’s a chance… That he might?”  
“Charles, I saw the look on his face when he kissed you tonight. I truly believe he loves you as much as you love him”  
Charles smiled the brightest smile Da Vinci had ever seen on his face.

“Now it’s late, I think it’s time to go to bed… Though I suspect that was where you just came from”  
Charles blushed as he remembered he was wearing only the sheet from his bed.  
“I also suspect you didn’t get many of your chores done while I was gone?”  
Charles shook his head. He was overcome by a sense of shame, of disappointing the older man.

“Well, off to bed with you anyway” Da Vinci was smiling. “You can do your chores in the morning”  
“Goodnight, Maestro” Charles said as he got to his feet.  
“Goodnight, Charles”

*****

‘Maestro knows about us’  
Charles was at the market picking up Da Vinci’s much-needed supplies when he bumped into Erik. The older man fell in step with him but didn’t touch him as they were out in public.

“Did you hear me?” Charles said aloud.  
“Yes, I heard you” Erik replied. “You shouted it loud enough in my head”  
“Sorry”  
“What made you decide to tell him?”  
“I didn’t! He caught you leaving the workshop last night. He was there when we came down the stairs but we were too preoccupied saying goodnight that neither of us saw him”  
“And?”  
“And what?”  
“Are you ashamed of me?”  
“What? No!”  
“You want to stop because he knows?”  
“No! Erik, I want to be with you. I just… I liked that it was something just the two of us knew about… I liked having something that was mine and no one else’s”

Erik smiled then he grabbed Charles’s hand and pushed him in between two stalls. Then he stole a kiss. Charles turned a deep shade of red and looked around in shock, wondering how many people had seen them.

“Nobody cares, Charles” Erik assured him. “That’s half the fun of being in Florence!”  
“I’m sorry, Erik” Charles replied. “But I’m not comfortable doing this in public”  
“Then do you want to go somewhere more private?”  
“Sometimes I can’t help thinking you only love me for my body”  
Erik laughed and took a step back from Charles.  
“Okay, I respect your values” Erik said. “And I shall respect your boundaries… If you don’t want me to kiss you in front of so many people, I won’t”  
“Thank you, Erik”  
“But I will help you finish your shopping and will walk you back to the studio”  
“Okay”  
“And then I will take you out for a meal”  
“Sounds good”  
“And then I will let you take me to your bed”

Charles playfully swatted Erik’s arm. Then he projected an image into the older man’s mind. Erik’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

“Are you really that flexible?” Erik asked.  
“Only one way to find out” Charles replied.

*****

Leonardo wasn’t at the workshop when Charles returned so he dropped his purchases on the bench and quickly ushered Erik up the stairs.  
When they came down later, the artist was sitting at the bench with several sketches spread before him. He didn’t even look up when they came into the room.  
Erik’s eyes immediately focused on a sketch of what looked like a series of guns all stuck together; Charles could only focus on the sketch of naked Erik which was half sticking out of the pile.

“Maestro?” Charles greeted him.

Da Vinci’s head immediately shot up and he looked at the two men together. His eyes seemed to dart from one to the other and back again. Then his face broke into a wide smile. He would have to remember to tell Charles that he could see the ‘light’ practically radiating off Erik.

“Charles” Leonardo nodded his head. “Erik… Could you both sit down for a moment?”  
Charles did as instructed but Erik hesitated.  
“Please? Erik” Leonardo said.

The older man pulled the seat back and set himself down at the workbench beside Charles. He reached his hand out under the bench and placed it upon Charles’s thigh.  
“I was hoping one of you could explain something to me” he said to them both. “You see, I found something unusual”  
“Unusual… Maestro?”

Leonardo placed a small sketchbook on the bench. Charles immediately recognized it as the one the artist carried around in his pocket. The younger man cast an uneasy gaze at Da Vinci.  
“Go on, Charles” he said. “Open it”  
Charles hesitated before he reached out and picked up the book. He flickered through several pages, still unsure what he was looking for. Then he saw it. The final pencil sketch was a simple yet beautiful drawing of him and Erik. The two men were atop the workbench, Erik towering above Charles yet he was leaning down to kiss the younger man.  
Leonardo felt slightly guilty when he saw Charles’s cheeks turn a deep shade of red.

“Now can either of you tell me how it is that this sketch came to be weeks before I found out about the two of you?” Da Vinci asked them. “Or does it have something to do with your playing with my memories, Charles?”  
Charles looked up at the artist with his eyes wide open.  
“How did you…?” he paused. “Vanessa?”  
“She could sense something was off with me… Said you must have been playing games with me”  
“I swear, Maestro… I didn’t mean any harm”  
“It’s okay, Charles. All I ask is for you to explain yourself”  
“You and Verrocchio walked in on us, okay?” Erik snapped. Every piece of metal in the room appeared to vibrate.

“Erik, please calm down” Charles reached out and placed his hand upon Erik’s shoulder. The older man immediately appeared to relax. “But yes, that is what happened… Erik and I were… together and Verrocchio interrupted us. Neither of us knew what to do. We couldn’t explain and I… I was scared. I was scared of how you would react and I was scared Verrocchio would fire Erik so I… I altered your minds to make you both forget what you’d seen”  
“Erik would not have been fired unless he’d hurt you in some way”

“But Maestro” Charles interrupted. “I don’t understand how you managed to draw this? I altered your mind, made you forget seeing us… Has my ability stopped working somehow?”  
“I don’t believe so” Da Vinci replied. “I have no memory of seeing you two together, I don’t remember Verrocchio walking in nor do I seem to recall even drawing this… I must have sketched it before you knew I was there”  
“Creepy” Erik muttered.  
“Maestro, please don’t be mad at me”  
“I assure you, I am not mad Charles” Da Vinci insisted. “But I do… Have a… Proposal”

Erik’s eyes darkened while Charles raised an eyebrow. He’d seen that look on the maestro’s face before. It was one of excitement and wonder. Charles could practically see the artist’s mind working and he was tempted to sneak a peek inside.

“What kind of proposal?” Erik asked. His voice filled with confusion.  
“I wish to sketch you again…” he insisted. “Properly this time”  
“You want to…?” Charles trailed off.  
“The two of you together… It’s fascinating… The image practically leaps off the page but it’s not right… it’s not the complete picture. I need to *see* it again and capture the whole thing on canvas”

“You want to watch the two of us in bed and sketch it?” Erik asked.  
“Yes” Da Vinci replied. His eyes were hopeful while the rest of his body language was calm and collected, as though he were simply suggesting sketching a sunset.  
“Maestro” Charles didn’t know what else to say. His heart was pounding in his chest. He turned to meet Erik’s gaze but the older man was still staring across the bench at the artist. Erik’s expression was difficult for him to read. Charles couldn’t tell if Erik was appalled or enthralled at the mere suggestion.

He looked at Da Vinci and nervously chewed his bottom lip. The artist’s eyes were darting back and forth between Erik and Charles in nervous anticipation. Charles wasn’t overly fond of the idea and couldn’t quite understand why Leonardo was so eager. He took a deep breath and peered into the older man’s mind.  
Da Vinci was already sitting before a blank canvas with a pencil in each hand, gazing intently at both Charles and Erik who were on the bed, kissing each other with more passion than they ever had. Erik pushed Charles down on top of the sheets and began to ravage his neck, causing him to moan. Da Vinci’s artistic skills took over and his hands began to fly all over the canvas.

Charles retreated from the artist’s mind in slight awe. Leonardo genuinely wished to sketch their likeness while they were in the throes of passionate lovemaking. As absurd as the idea was, Leonardo could see nothing wrong with it. In his mind, he was already drawing it.

“Charles, Erik” Da Vinci tried to explain. “The mere idea of drawing such an intimate moment between two people might never have crossed my mind if I hadn’t seen for myself the way you two interact. There’s something about you… something there that needs to be captured… I can’t explain it… I just know that I need to be the one to do it”  
“So why not choose someone else?” Erik asked. “Surely you could find any two people that would be willing to pose for money”  
“It wouldn’t be the same” he replied as though it was the most obvious of answers. “But of course I will pay you”

Charles hadn’t said a word. He was torn by his desire to keep his time with Erik completely intimate versus his need to please the maestro… He hated to disappoint the older man but allowing him to watch him and Erik together… Charles bit down on his bottom lip.

“Charles?” Da Vinci began. “Please, think about it?”  
“I… I…” Charles stammered. “I don’t know what to say”  
‘I think we should do it’ Charles heard Erik’s voice in his head.  
‘Are you crazy?’ Charles replied.  
‘Not even a bit. But he’s willing to pay us and we get to be together’  
‘But… having sex… in front of an audience…’  
‘It’s only Da Vinci’

“I can’t!” Charles cried. His heart was hammering in his chest, sweat pouring down his forehead and he was finding it difficult to breathe. The younger man didn’t even know he’d spoken aloud.

“Charles?” Erik was on his feet in an instant. He quickly wrapped his arms around the younger man while glaring at Da Vinci. He was already blaming the artist for whatever was wrong with Charles.  
“I can’t” Charles sobbed into Erik’s chest.

Leonardo was the first to understand Charles’s fear. He also stood up and made his way around the room. He paused just shy of Charles then reached out and placed his hand upon his shoulder.

“Charles” Leo began. “I promise nothing bad will happen to you. I merely wish to capture your beautiful relationship on canvas. There won’t be anyone else here, no one in the studio except for Erik and myself… And neither one of us will hurt you in any way. The second you feel scared or out of your comfort zone, we will stop. I promise”  
It wasn’t until he heard Leonardo’s words that Erik realized why Charles was reacting the way he was.

“Really?” Charles asked.  
“I assure you, Charles” Leonardo stared into the younger man’s eyes. “I do not wish to make you uncomfortable. Control of the situation will be entirely in your hands. Erik and I will do as you say. You say stop, we stop”

These words had an immediate effect on Charles. The tension appeared to leave his body but he didn’t pull away from Erik’s embrace. He gazed into the artist’s eyes, sneaking into his mind, and saw he spoke from the heart and only the truth. Then he turned and looked at Erik who still looked slightly torn.

“May I have a moment to think in private?” Charles asked.  
“Of course” Leonardo replied. Erik merely nodded his head.  
He pulled himself from Erik’s arms and walked away from the two older men. Charles staggered up the back steps and a moment later they heard the door close above them.  
Erik turned to look at Da Vinci.

“Were you expecting that?” Erik asked him.  
“Honestly? No… I uh” he hesitated. “I forgot”  
“Forgot?”  
“He did tell you about his step-father?”  
“That he and his step-brothers used to-”  
“Yes… I should have been more tactful but I honestly forgot about… He once told me that his step-father used to like watching his sons touch Charles”

Erik’s hands immediately balled into fists. The very idea of something as evil as that happening to someone as sweet as Charles made him angry.  
“But you are at least considering this?” Leonardo asked.  
“Not if it means upsetting Charles” Erik replied.  
“That was not my intention”

Erik was tempted to ask more questions. Charles had told him very little of his past. It was clear that he didn’t like to speak of it. Erik wanted to know more; he wanted to know everything there was to know about the younger man and he knew he may never hear it all from Charles himself.  
He wondered just how close Charles was to the artist. Had Charles told Da Vinci everything of his past?

“Have you always known?” Erik asked him.  
“Known what?” Leo replied.  
“What his family did to him”  
“No… Charles had been here about three months before he finally told me. I’m surprised he’s told you in the short time he’s known you”  
“I don’t think he intended to”  
“The same could be said for me…” Leonardo peered up at the ceiling as though trying to determine if Charles were about to come back to the workshop. “We were out of the city with Zo and knew we wouldn’t be back before dark so we decided to set up camp in the woods. Charles began to panic and I mean really panic. He got himself all worked up and couldn’t breathe. I tried to talk him down but he wouldn’t let me get near him. He panicked when I tried to touch him… Eventually Zo & I gave him his space while trying to assure him that everything was going to be okay. He finally used his gifts to look into my mind and decided I was telling the truth… Later that night, after Zo was asleep, Charles had a nightmare which woke him and he took off. I heard him and went after him… He was weary but he trusted me… That was when he told me the truth… Going off his past experiences, he believed Zo & I had lured him into the woods to-”  
Erik was glad that he didn’t finish that sentence.

“Charles must have been terrified” Erik added. “To risk wandering through the woods alone at night rather than stay at camp with you and your friend”  
“He didn’t know us yet” Leo replied. “And after hearing the terrible things they did to him, I can’t say I blame him for being wary”  
“Why do you think he’s so trusting of me?” Erik asked.  
“Because he’s in love with you”

The sound of a door opening then closing brought their conversation to a close. They both turned and stared at the steps. Charles appeared a moment later. He looked a little reserved and uncertain as he made his way down the staircase. He crossed the room and buried himself in Erik’s arms. 

“I’ve thought it over” Charles said. He wouldn’t look at either of them. “And I want to try it but only if I can keep the painting once it’s finished”  
“That seems like a fair compromise” Leonardo agreed. “And do you have a price you wish to be paid?”  
“Whatever you feel is fair” Charles said. “But I don’t wish your money, Maestro. Erik will receive my share of the money”  
“Charles? Are you sure?” Erik asked him. He nodded his head.

“Excellent!” Da Vinci was practically giddy with joy. “Well, I need time to prepare my supplies. Maybe… tomorrow night? The studio will be empty and no one will be around to interrupt”  
“Tomorrow?” Charles swallowed. “That’s… Soon”  
“Well if you put it off you might change your mind”  
Charles looked to Erik who smiled at him.  
“Now I must get organized” Leo clapped his hands. “I need supplies and you need more practice”  
“Excuse me?” Erik asked.  
“Yes, yes… You need to find a position that suits you, something comfortable that will translate onto the page. We won’t have time to waste once we get started so you best sort something now”

By now the artist was circling the room, taking stock of what supplies he had and what he’d need to purchase. He was muttering to himself. Erik kissed the top of Charles’s head before taking his hand. The younger man shrugged at him then led him back up the stairs. Da Vinci was still murmuring as they disappeared.  
Charles pulled Erik into his room and the two of them fell onto the bed. But they didn’t do as they’d been instructed. Instead, Erik pulled Charles into his arms and just held his body close to his own.  
Leonardo’s words played themselves over and over in his mind. The image of a terrified and upset Charles out in the woods, fearing being raped by two people he trusted wouldn’t leave him alone. He vowed then and there that Charles would never know fear like that ever again.  
He leaned over and kissed the younger man’s lips.

“What was that for?” Charles wanted to know.  
“I don’t need an excuse to want to kiss you” Erik replied.  
Charles smiled and happily kissed him back.

*****

There was an air of excitement coming from the artist the following day. Leonardo appeared to be doing multiple things at once as he tried to organize himself. He never really made a fuss about his work before but this time it was something special. He couldn’t even explain what was different about it, just that he knew he needed to draw it.  
It had astonished him that Charles had agreed to his request. He kept waiting for his assistant to change his mind.

They were having supper together at the Barking Dog. Leonardo was devouring his meal while Charles aimlessly pushed his food around the plate. The younger man did seem to be enjoying his ale. Vanessa appeared at the table and poured more drink into Charles’s mug. He smiled gratefully at her before taking a long swig. She looked at him with slight amusement before turning to Leonardo.

“Leo?” she began. “Have you turned Charles into a drunk?”  
“What?” the artist replied with his mouth half full. “Uh no”  
“Then why is he drinking so much? I’ve never seen him touch the stuff before”  
“Oh Vanessa, let him have his fun”  
She shook her head before turning and walking away, casting a wary gaze back at the two men.

“She’s right though, Charles” Leonardo said to the younger man. “You might want to go easy on that”  
“I’m sorry, Maestro” Charles said as he put the mug down on the table. He pushed it away for good measure. “I guess I’m somewhat nervous”  
“Are you having second thoughts? Because you know you can change your mind. I will not hold it against you”  
Charles shook his head.  
“I’m serious, Charles” Leo reached out and placed his hand on top of Charles’s. “You do not have to do this if you do not wish it”  
“I understand, Maestro! I won’t let you down”

Those words stayed with the artist until long after the two men left the tavern. They were making their way through the streets, Leo walking two paces behind Charles, when it occurred to him that he’d not seen Erik all day. Perhaps it wasn’t Charles who was having second thoughts after all.  
They reached the studio and Leonardo was relieved to see that Verrocchio had closed early. There was no one else in the building aside from the two of them.

Da Vinci saw this as the perfect time to talk to Charles. He purposely sat the younger man down in front of an unfinished portrait of Erik. 

“Charles?” he began.  
“Yes Maestro?” Charles replied. He stared at the artist with his piercing blue eyes.  
“What did you mean earlier when you said you wouldn’t let me down?”  
“Exactly that… That I wouldn’t disappoint you”  
Leonardo sighed and pulled up at chair beside the younger man. Sometimes he forgot there were only a few years separating their ages. Charles had such a boyish innocence about him that made the artist feel like he was talking to an over-excited child.

“Charles” he began. “If you do not feel comfortable with the idea of this, please tell me so. I have always given you my word that I would never force you to do anything you did not wish to”  
“I understand… But maestro, I need you to understand something too”  
Leonardo raised an eyebrow.  
“You’ve been so good to me for all these months. You took me in and you’ve provided for me… You’ve earned my trust and my respect and have become my friend. I owe you so much and yet you’ve asked for nothing in return from me… But now… Now there is something I *can* do for you and I will gladly do it. Because you’ve never asked anything of me that I am incapable of doing… And to be fair… All you’ve really asked is for me to be with Erik, I can easily pretend you’re not even there”

Leonardo laughed and shook his head in disbelief. Then he did something he’d only done twice before, he reached out and pulled the younger man into a hug.  
“Thank you, Charles” Leo whispered.  
“No, thank you, Leonardo” Charles replied.

The two men broke apart as the door to the studio opened and Erik appeared. His eyes swept the empty room and he nodded his head before pulling the door closed behind him. The artist instructed him to lock it.

“We’re not going to pose *here* are we?” Charles asked. There was a look of mild panic on his face.  
“No” Leonardo replied. “But it’ll keep unwanted visitors away”  
“So where are we going to do this?” Erik wanted to know. “In the workshop?”  
“The workshop is too dark. Just… Bear with me and all shall be revealed”

The artist then stood up and flittered out of the room. Erik and Charles looked at each other then the younger man shrugged his shoulders. Erik crossed the room and sat down in the seat Da Vinci had just vacated. He reached up and placed his hand upon Charles’s cheek.

“I haven’t said hello to you yet” Erik whispered.  
“No, you have not” Charles replied before smiling at the older man.  
Erik closed the space between them and kissed Charles on the lips.  
“Hello” he replied after they broke apart.  
“Hello” Charles smiled.  
“So”  
“So”  
“Are you nervous?”  
“About being with you?”  
“About having an… audience”  
“A very captive one at that”  
“Well?”  
“Well what?”  
“Are you nervous?”

Charles leaned in and rested his forehead against Erik’s.  
“No” he replied. “I’m not nervous because I love you and I trust him”  
“I love you too” Erik replied. “But I’m not sure if I trust him”  
Charles laughed.  
“The maestro has that effect on people sometimes”

“I have to ask, Charles” Erik began. “Why did you agree to this?”  
“Like I said” Charles replied. “I trust him. He would not have asked unless he were truly passionate about it. And” Charles paused, unsure if he should go on but he wanted Erik to know the truth. “It means *something* to me that he asked us to do this for him. He said he can see how much we care for each other… He has tried his best to look out for me and he seems willing to trust you with me”  
“He knows that I love you, Charles”  
“Besides, if things become… uncomfortable… I can always make us forget he’s even there”  
“But where’s the fun in that?”  
Charles laughed then pulled Erik towards him for another kiss. 

They were still exchanging tender kisses when Leonardo returned to the main studio. He saw the couple sitting together and decided to give them another moment or two before they officially started ‘posing’.  
The two men separated in their own time and Da Vinci called them over. They both got to their feet and followed the artist into the workroom. It was dark and empty. Charles knew they weren’t going to be working in here.

“Maestro?” Charles began.  
“Upstairs, Charles” Leonardo replied. “Follow me!”

He led the way up the flight of stairs to his larger studio with his own bed in the very centre of the room. Both Charles and Erik immediately remembered their first time together as being in that very bed. As far as they were aware, the artist had no idea they’d made love in his bed.  
The room was better lit this time as Leonardo had opened the higher shutters letting the weak rays of the sunset into the room. He’s also lit a variety of candles and placed them strategically around the room.  
Charles caught Erik’s eye and nervously smiled at him. It was very romantic… Something neither Charles nor Erik was used to.

“Just make yourselves comfortable” Leonardo said to them as he moved towards the corner of the room. A chair and easel had already been placed there. The artist sat down in the chair and peered around the edge of the easel.

“Sit! Sit” He said as he waved them over to the bed.  
“You just want us to sit there?” Erik asked as he cocked his eyebrow.  
“Just do whatever comes natural”

Erik smirked then he turned and faced Charles. He instantly slid his arms around the younger mans waist and pulled his body close to his own. Then Erik leaned down and kissed him. Charles closed his eyes and surrendered himself to Erik’s embrace. His entire body came alive at the older man’s touch.  
Charles threw his arms around Erik’s neck, deepening their kiss and prodding his tongue into the older man’s mouth. He felt his body being lifted off the ground and he wrapped his legs around Erik. The two men remained locked at the lips, Erik’s hands sliding up under Charles’s shirt.  
Erik took a few steps back and fell onto the low bed, Charles’s body on top of his. They landed with a soft thud and Erik broke the kiss while he laughed at themselves.

He reached up and placed his hand upon Charles’s cheek. The younger man leaned into the touch and softly kissed Erik’s palm. He stared at Erik from underneath his lashes and he smiled at the older man.  
“You’re so beautiful, Charles” Erik whispered.  
“I love you” Charles replied.  
He leaned down and captured Erik’s lips in a deep kiss.

They had temporarily forgotten about the artist’s presence in the room. Both able to tune out the sound of pencil scratching upon paper.

Erik wrapped his arms around Charles and rolled them both over so Charles’s body was now pinned beneath his. He quickly leaned down and began to ravish the younger man’s neck. His actions elicited beautiful sounds from Charles’s throat.  
The older man then proceeded to spend the next ten minutes kissing and caressing Charles’s body as he slowly undressed the younger man. Once he had Charles completely naked beneath him, it took all of his willpower not to come at the very sight before him.

Then Erik remembered their captive audience and a part of him suddenly became very protective of Charles. In his mind, he suddenly didn’t want the artist to see the younger man’s naked body.  
He knew it was irrational but it was all he could think about. Until he heard Charles’s voice in his head, telling him to ease up.  
Charles placed his hands upon Erik’s cheeks and pulled the older man up to meet him. He gazed into his lover’s eyes before leaning forward and kissing him. As their tongues danced together, Erik’s fingers closed around Charles’s growing hardness.

A startled cry from across the room broke their spell and caused the two men to separate. Erik was confused as Charles pushed him aside and hurried to the artists’ side. The older man was quick to follow.

“Maestro?” Charles cried.  
Leonardo was on the floor, clutching his head with his eyes squeezed closed. He was muttering to himself over and over again. Erik had never seen anyone in such pain before. He opened his mouth to ask Charles if he knew what was wrong.

“Maestro?” Charles said again. “Are you okay?”  
“It’s too bright” Da Vinci cried.  
“Too bright?” Erik asked but the two men weren’t paying any attention to him.  
“Maestro, its okay” Charles tried to calm him down.

Erik grabbed hold of Charles’s arm and pulled him away from the artist.  
“Charles, what’s wrong with him?” Erik asked.  
“He said it’s too bright” Charles sounded uncertain then it all fell into place. “Of course!”

“Maestro” Charles placed his hand upon Da Vinci’s shoulder. “It’s alright” he turned and looked at Erik. “It’s us! We’re blinding him”  
“Blinding? How?” Erik asked.  
“It’s hard to explain but… it’s how he can tell people who are gifted like us. He once told me that it’s like a bright shining light emitting from each of us which gets brighter the longer we’re around each other… Seeing us in close proximity must have made the light brighter and it’s too much for him”  
“So how do we fix it?” Erik asked. “Do we stop?” 

“No!” Leonardo cried out. His eyes were still squeezed shut. “I *need* to draw you”  
“But Maestro” Charles protested. “You can’t”  
“I have to”  
“It’s too dangerous… Unless”  
“Unless what?” Erik asked.

Charles knelt on the floor beside Da Vinci. The older man’s eyes were still closed. Charles reached out and placed his index finger against the artist’s temple and closed his own eyes.  
‘Maestro?’ Charles spoke only to the artist. ‘When you open your eyes, you will still be able to see the light but it won’t be as bright. It’ll be there but you will be able to ignore it’  
Then Charles pulled away and stepped towards Erik. The older man instantly moved in front of Charles, shielding his naked body from the artist. Leonardo opened his eyes then blinked several times. His gaze shifted around the room and came to rest on the two men who were both staring at him. He could still see the light emitting from the couple but it wasn’t distracting.  
He smiled and leapt to his feet.

“Thank you, Charles” Leonardo gushed.  
“You’re welcome, Maestro” Charles replied.  
The artist searched the ground for his pencil, snatched it up and quickly returned to his spot behind the easel.

Erik and Charles exchanged a look.  
“Come on, come on” Da Vinci waved his hand towards the bed. “Back to it then”  
Charles continued to stare at Erik. He appeared slightly hesitant. Erik wrapped his arms around Charles and carried him back to the bed. He deposited the younger man atop of the sheets and discarded his own shirt before climbing on top of the younger man.  
Within seconds they had resumed their kissing.

Charles welcomed Erik’s tongue into his mouth while his hands struggled to separate Erik from his pants. The couple moved together as one, thrusting against each other as they kissed.  
Then Charles was on top of Erik. He took the older man’s hands in his and directed them towards his ass. Erik grasped the cheeks, squeezing them before sliding his hand towards the crack. He slid his index finger inside and smiled when he heard a low moan escape Charles’s lips.

Da Vinci peered around the easel.  
“That’s it!” he cried. “Perfect! Stay right as you are”

Erik laughed and slid a second finger inside the younger man. Charles cried out and bucked his hips. Erik lay on his back with Charles straddling his thighs; the younger man stared down at him with such love in his eyes. Erik couldn’t resist the urge to prod his fingers in and out of his lover’s body.

“Erik” Charles moaned. “Please?”  
The older man reached up with his other hand and wrapped his fingers around Charles’s cock. A sliver of precum had formed at the tip which Erik spread across the head with his thumb. Charles groaned and bucked his hips. His actions only encouraged Erik and the older man made quick work of Charles’s organ.  
Within minutes the younger man tossed his head back and cried out as his orgasm rocked his entire body. Charles collapsed against Erik’s chest, panting for breath.

“No!” Da Vinci cried. “Get back up, Charles!”

It was Charles’s turn to laugh. He reached up and placed a kiss to Erik’s lips before he pulled himself up. Charles directed Erik’s hand back towards his ass, wanting to impale himself on Erik’s fingers once again.

“Charles” Erik whispered.  
‘Fuck me, Erik’ Charles’s voice was only in Erik’s head.  
Erik growled at the very thought and squeezed the younger man’s ass cheek. Charles bucked his hips. 

Da Vinci continued to sketch the couple, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two men on the bed and the easel before him. He watched as Erik ran his hand up Charles’s thigh and the younger man leaned his head back, exposing his neck.  
The artist stopped and simply stared at the couple. He’d always known that Charles was nice to look at but he’d never realized how truly stunning he was. He heard Erik’s laughter and he snapped back to attention, focusing once more on the sketch before him.

Erik parted Charles’s cheeks and the younger man grasped at Erik’s cock, guiding it swiftly to where it belonged. With one thrust, Erik buried his hardness deep inside the younger man’s body. Charles cried out in pleasure as he impaled himself on Erik’s hard cock. Then Erik began to thrust his hips and Charles closed his eyes, losing himself in the sensations Erik’s actions were sending through his body.  
Charles groaned and bucked his hips. He reached down, running his hands down Erik’s chest. 

“More” Charles cried out.  
“Charles” Erik moaned.  
“Harder! Harder!”

Da Vinci stared at the couple, his eyes opened wide in awe as Erik gripped Charles’s thighs and thrust harder inside the younger man. The artist bit his bottom lip, watching as Erik’s large cock slipped in and out of Charles’s ass. He still couldn’t quite believe the younger man’s ability to take all that Erik offered.  
It was one of the most breath taking scenes he’d ever witnessed. The couple were so perfectly in sync with each other; they both moved together as one.

“Harder” Charles groaned.  
He took hold of Erik’s hand then brought it up to his lips. He gently kissed Erik’s palm before taking his index finger into his mouth. Charles’s eyes locked with Erik’s as his tongue massaged his fingers. He nipped at the tip and the older man moaned. He thrust his hips, slamming into Charles again and again.

‘So good’ Charles didn’t speak aloud but his voice echoed inside both Erik and Da Vinci’s minds. ‘More! Need more!’

The artist clamped his hand across his mouth to stop himself from speaking. Seeing the two men together was affecting him more than he’d anticipated. His own cock had been stirring for some time and he had to resist the urge to touch himself.

Then Charles turned and he found himself gazing into the artist’s eyes. They stared at each other for the longest time. Charles’s body was still moving in time with Erik’s but his attention was focused on Da Vinci.  
‘Please?’ Charles begged. ‘I need more!’

“Charles?” Leonardo stood up and stepped around the easel. He didn’t dare move closer to the couple.  
“Please?” Charles cried. ‘Want this, Erik! Please?’  
“Charles?” Leonardo said again. His voice was low and husky. “Erik?”  
“Please? Please? Please?” Charles screamed aloud.  
“Do it!” Erik growled at the artist.

Leonardo wasted no time dropping his pants. He climbed onto the bed behind Charles and placed a kiss to the nape of his neck. Then he ran his hand down the younger man’s back and parted his cheeks. He could see Erik’s cock sliding in and out of Charles. Leonardo directed his own cock towards the younger man’s ass.

Charles felt a second cock inching inside, stretching him open and sending waves of pleasure through his body.  
“Oh GOD!” Charles cried out. “YES! YES!”

Leonardo let out a low moan as his cock breached Charles. His hardness brushed against Erik’s and he peered around Charles to look at Erik. The older man was moaning with pleasure.  
Once he was buried completely inside Charles, he leaned forward and kissed the nape of Charles’s neck.

“Are you okay?” Da Vinci asked Charles.  
“Yes!” Charles panted. Erik reached up and gently stroked Charles’s thigh. “Erik! It feels… Feels… Ohhhhh… YES!”

All three men paused, holding themselves very still to allow time for the younger man’s body to adapt to having two cocks inside him. Charles had never felt anything like it before. Erik’s cock was huge and felt incredible inside him but having a second cock was indescribable.  
Erik stared up at Charles and could see the look of pleasurable pain on his face. Over his shoulder he could see the worried look on Da Vinci’s face.

“Fuck me!” Charles screamed.  
“Are you ready?” Erik asked. “Do you need more time to…?”  
Charles shook his head.  
“Do it!” he cried. “Now! Please, fuck me… I… I can take it”

Leonardo peered over Charles’s shoulder and his eyes met with Erik’s. The older man stared back at him and nodded his head in agreement. Erik would give Charles anything he asked for especially when he begged for it.  
Erik took a deep breath then he stroked Charles’s thigh before he slowly began to thrust his hips. His movements were slow and precise. He wanted to take it easy and not hurt Charles.

“More!” Charles demanded.  
“We don’t want to hurt you” Erik replied.  
“Just… Please? I… I need you to… FUCK ME!”

Leonardo placed his hand upon Erik’s and the two men began to thrust in unison with each other. Within seconds they had a rhythm going which sent excited shivers down Charles’s spine.  
Charles reached down and grabbed Erik’s hand which he directed to his cock. Then he reached for Leo’s hand and placed it on top of Erik’s. They both got the message and started to tease Charles’s cock.

The younger man closed his eyes and opened his mind. He could see into both Erik and Da Vinci’s minds. The want, need and desire were almost too much for him. He focused on Erik, letting the older man’s emotions wash over him. He could see himself through Erik’s eyes, could feel the love and desire emitting from Erik and it took his breath away.  
Charles continued to move up and down on the two hard cocks buried inside him while revelling in the intimate touches from the two men.  
Unbeknownst to Erik and Leonardo, Charles had been taken like this before but it had never, ever felt like this… He hadn’t known such an experience could feel this good. 

Leonardo’s lips brushed against Charles’s neck. There was such tenderness to his kisses that it brought tears to Charles’s eyes. He kept them closed to hold back his unshed tears. He didn’t want the artist to know he was crying.  
He was about to peek into Da Vinci’s mind but decided he wanted to gaze upon Erik first so he dared to open his eyes. Charles lowered his head and stared down into his lover’s eyes.

“Feels good, Charles” Erik moaned as he gazed up at Charles. “So good”  
Erik’s words were all it took for Charles to lose control. He threw his head back and cried out as his orgasm rocked his body. Stream after stream of his seed spilled from his cock and splashed upon Erik’s already cum covered chest.  
As the muscles inside Charles constricted around Leo’s hardness, the artist felt his own orgasm building. He buried himself inside the younger man and came. Erik groaned as he felt Leonardo’s seed filling his lover. It was all he needed to shoot his own seed inside Charles.

The three men collapsed in a heap, each panting for breath. Erik reached up and gently brushed his fingers across Charles’s forehead. Then he leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips.

The artist quickly extracted himself from the couple. He shook his head in disbelief as he struggled to pull his pants back on. 

Charles was still breathing heavily against Erik’s neck. The older man smiled when he noticed Charles’s eyes beginning to droop. He whispered in his ear, telling him that he needed to rest. The older man then eased himself from the bed. He straightened up and turned to address Da Vinci but was surprised to find the artist was gone. Erik leaned down and placed a single kiss to Charles’s lips before turning and heading towards the stairs. 

Erik paused long enough to stare at the canvas the artist had been working on. He reached up and touched the image. It was easily the most stunning drawing he’d ever seen. Da Vinci had captured their likenesses perfectly. Their love and passion forever immortalized. Erik’s breath caught in his throat. He’d always known how talented the artist was but seeing Charles in all his beauty on canvas was just further proof.  
He made his way down the steps into the workshop and found the artist pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. Erik stopped and watched as Leonardo shook his head from side to side and circled the workbench on a continuous loop. He couldn’t quite catch what the artist was murmuring under his breath.

“Sometimes I see the way he looks at me and I… I tell myself that I need to wake up…” Erik began. “That I must be dreaming because there’s no way that someone like him could possibly love someone like me”  
The artist stopped moving. He turned and looked at Erik.  
“And yet he does” Leonardo said to him.  
“You don’t approve… You think he deserves better”  
“I just want him to be happy and these past few weeks spent with you… It’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him”

Now that he’d ceased his pacing, Da Vinci made his way over to the bench and picked up a glass. He poured himself a drink and downed the contents in one swift gulp before pouring a second one. He looked up and his eyes rested on Erik’s naked form. The other man didn’t seem fazed by the fact that he was naked and covered in sticky come.  
Leonardo swallowed his words and turned his back on Erik. He couldn’t meet his eye… That would mean what they’d just done was real… That he, Da Vinci, had taken advantage of his friend… He’d done the one thing he’d promised never to do… He’d taken his fill of Charles.

He squeezed his eyes closed before downing another drink.  
“Da Vinci” Erik snapped. “Drinking yourself into a stupor won’t change what just happened”  
The artist stopped, his hand frozen in mid-air. How did he know that’s what he was doing?

“Erik” Leonardo snapped.  
“I can see it all over your face” Erik replied, ignoring the artist’s outburst. “You can’t even look at me and you didn’t do anything to me”

Da Vinci rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes still firmly closed.  
“I never should have…” he trailed off. “I had no right… I never meant… I shouldn’t have… How could…”  
His words all ran together without forming a complete sentence. Erik couldn’t help feeling bad for the artist. He’d seen this kind of behaviour before but never from someone as in control and self-assured as Da Vinci.

“Leonardo” Erik’s tone was loud but gentle. He moved towards the other man, trying to think of the best way to assure him. “Leonardo, calm yourself”  
“I can’t!” Da Vinci replied. “Charles trusted me… You both did! And yet I…”  
“You what? You didn’t do anything wrong!”  
“How can you say that? I just had sex with Charles!”  
“I know I was there!”  
“He trusted me… He works for me… He’s my friend and I… I just… I didn’t even think… I just… I saw him and the way he was staring at me… The two of you together just took my breath away and it was like I had no control of my actions… What am I supposed to do now? How can I earn his trust back?”  
“Why on earth would you think you’ve lost his trust?”  
“Because I took him… I used his body and I… I swore I would never do that to him”  
“But you meant against his will, right?”

“What?” Da Vinci looked up and locked eyes with Erik.  
The other man walked towards him and placed his hand upon the artist’s arm.  
“You promised yourself you’d never take him against his will” Erik assured him.  
“I promised myself I’d never touch him, ever!”  
“But he wanted you to… I was there, Leonardo, I was holding Charles the entire time and I could see it in his eyes how badly he wanted it. I… I was giving him my all but it wasn’t enough… He needed you too”  
Leonardo closed his eyes and shook his head.  
“No, it was wrong of me” he insisted.

“Will you shut up and listen to me?” Erik insisted. He’d never spoken to the artist like that before. It was enough to make Leonardo stop and look at him. “He *needed* you and you were there for him. If anything, he respects and trusts you all the more for it”  
“What on earth are you talking about?”  
“I could see it” Erik held the artist’s gaze and he pointed to his own temple. “Charles was in my head… That was why I didn’t try to stop you because I knew it was something Charles needed”  
“But why? Why would he want that…?”

Erik reached out and took hold of both Da Vinci’s hands to stop the artist from flailing about. He stared into the other man’s eyes, ensuring he had his complete attention.

“That wasn’t the first time Charles had done something like that” Erik explained. “I could see it because he showed me… He showed me a time when his stepbrothers held him down and both took him at the same time”  
He could see the fear seeping into Da Vinci’s eyes.  
“Charles knew the only way to erase such a painful memory was to replace it with a happier one… Of being with people he cares about and who care about him… He didn’t want to be a victim anymore… He wanted a better memory and he trusted *us* to make it happen for him… Because he trusts you”

Erik’s words seemed to work as the tension appeared to leave the artists body. His eyes lost their hint of fear and guilt too.  
“I never knew that about his step-brothers” Da Vinci explained. “I mean… I knew they used to… To hurt him but I… Not like that”  
“I didn’t know either… Until I saw it in his mind” Erik replied.

A silence fell between the two of them as they both lost themselves in their own thoughts. Several minutes passed before Da Vinci poured himself another drink.  
Erik declined when offered then silently excused himself. He made his way back up to the bedroom and checked on Charles, who was still sleeping. He moved to the washstand and dipped a cloth into the water. Erik hastily cleaned himself off then gently ran the damp cloth over Charles’s sleeping form. He placed a kiss to his lover’s cheek then left him to sleep. Erik found his pants and pulled them on before heading back down to the workshop.  
Da Vinci was still sitting at the workbench with his drink in his hand.

“I should have seen it sooner” Leonardo broke the silence.  
“Seen what?” Erik asked.  
“You and him… Erik, when we first met you told me you intended to stay in Florence no more than a fortnight and now it’s been nearly two months. The day I sketched your portrait outside the city, you said you were leaving in two days… And when you didn’t leave, I couldn’t understand why you were still here… What was keeping you in Florence”  
“It was always him… I believe I was... meant to meet Charles that day. Your invention nearly killed him… If I hadn’t been there…”  
“Of course! The metal on the wings! You did that… You’re the reason the device slowed its descent. It should have smashed into the ground and…” he trailed off. “You saved his life and you’ve been trying to protect him ever since”

“I know I don’t deserve him, Leonardo”  
The artist held his gaze but didn’t say anything. He took another sip from his glass instead.

“Does he know?” he decided to change the subject.  
“Know what?” Erik asked.  
“Why you came to Florence? Or that you’re leaving”  
“No”  
“Erik”  
“We never liked to talk about it. He asked me, once, what brought me here. I told him that I liked to travel and that I was searching for something… But we were interrupted and he never brought it up again”  
“But you’re still planning on leaving, are you not?”  
“I have to… I’m the closest I’ve ever been to reaching my goal… I allowed myself to be distracted by my feelings for Charles but I haven’t abandoned my mission”  
“When do you plan to go?”  
“I don’t know. I should have gone weeks ago… I never should have…” he trailed off.

“I will look after him while you’re gone” Leonardo assured him. “I promise”  
“I know” Erik shot him a sad smile.  
“But I need you to promise me something in return”  
“Oh?”  
“If it were up to me, I’d tell you to walk out that door right now and never come back”  
“Why don’t you then?”  
“Because it’s not up to me… One doesn’t need to be a genius to see that Charles is in love with you… And you leaving is just going to hurt him”

“You think I don’t want to take him with me?” Erik snapped. The look on the artist’s face was one he couldn’t read. “If I thought for even a second that I could protect him… that being with me wouldn’t endanger him… We would have already left together days ago… Weeks even… But I know I can’t do that to him… I won’t put his life in danger”  
“Which is why you must promise me you will come back to him!” Da Vinci insisted. “Because I will not help you break his heart”  
“Then I’m sorry but I can not make that promise. My goal is clear but it may cost me my life. I can’t promise to return when I know it’s likely I’m going to get myself killed”  
“I will not give him false hope”  
“And I will not lie to him”

They stared at each other for the longest time.  
“You’re already lying to him” Da Vinci reasoned.  
“What?”  
“You’re lying by omission… By not telling him your plans”  
“My plans have nothing to do with him!”  
“They have everything to do with him”

“What are you talking about?” Erik was genuinely confused by the artist’s words.  
“Erik” Leonardo began. “I know more about you than you think I do… I know you’re looking for someone… And that they killed your mother”  
Erik clenched his hand into a fist.  
“How do you know this?” Erik asked.

The artist reached up and rubbed his tired eyes. He took a deep breath before he dared to look up and meet Erik’s gaze. There appeared to be a look of anger in his eyes with a mix of confusion on his face.

“Zo has some very… shady contacts and they keep their eyes and ears open for any sort of… unsavoury characters who come to town” Leonardo began. “So when I heard of a stranger seeking information about a man named Sebastian Shaw, I took it upon myself to track this man down”  
“You’re telling me that we didn’t meet by chance?” Erik asked.  
“No, we did not”  
“You came up to me, told me you were an artist and that you wished to capture my likeness”  
“Which was true… and I did… But I knew who you were before we met”  
“What interest do you have in Sebastian Shaw?”  
“Tell me, Erik… When you do eventually find him, what do you intend to do?”  
“I’m going to kill him”

Leonardo folded his hands in his lap.  
“I sort you out so I could determine if you were dangerous” Leonardo continued. “I had my suspicions about why you’d come to Florence and I had to make sure you were not aware of my connection to him”  
“Your connection?” Erik snapped. “Are you telling me that for weeks you’ve kept me running in circles while you’ve known all along where he is?”  
“No, I assure you I do not know where he is nor do I wish to know… But I have contacts who keep me updated in case word ever reaches me that Shaw is on his way to Florence”  
“Why would he come to Florence?”  
“I don’t know… Honestly I don’t believe he would. He has no dealings here and the Medici’s have never done business with him”

“Then tell me, Da Vinci” Erik insisted. “What is your connection to Shaw?”  
“Please believe me when I say I was just doing what I felt best” Leo explained. “And I should not be admitting this to you… But I truly believe that you are unaware… I do not know if knowing the truth will change your mind in any way”  
“Da Vinci!” Erik leapt to his feet in ager. The artist was dragging this conversation and Erik just wanted him to say what he had to say.

“Sebastian Shaw is Charles’s step father” Leonardo confessed.  
Erik felt as though the artist had punched him in the stomach. He fell into the seat he’d just vacated and stared at the other man in stunned silence.  
“What?” he managed to gasp.  
It was clear from the shocked expression on his face that Erik had had no idea of Charles’s connection to Shaw.

“What did you just say?” Erik whispered.  
“I’m sorry, Erik” Leonardo replied. “I never wanted you to find out especially since Charles does not know that his step-father is the man you are hunting”  
“So… Why are you telling me this?”  
“I kept you around so I could make sure you hadn’t come to Florence with the intention of seeking out Charles. I thought you may have known about him and hoped to use him to find Shaw”  
“I knew Shaw had remarried years ago and had gained a stepchild but the child was of no interest to me. I didn’t see any reason to punish them… I… I never even learned if the child was a boy or a girl”  
“I never intended for you to meet Charles. We were meant to finish that portrait before he showed up with my flying machine”

“So you kept me around to keep me away from Charles?” Erik looked at him with a quizzical expression on his face.  
“Something like that” Da Vinci confessed. “I thought by keeping you around but Charles away from you I could learn what I needed about you without putting him in any harm”  
“You believed I would harm him?”  
“I did not know what you would be willing to do to find Shaw”

“But… Again why are you telling me all this now?” Erik asked. “Why admit to your actions? Why even tell me about Charles and Shaw?”  
“Because I…” he hesitated. “I believe your feelings for Charles are true and that you deserve to know the truth… I’m sure you don’t need more reason to want revenge against the man who hurt you but…” he gritted his teeth. “I want you to make him pay for what he did to Charles”

“Leonardo?” Erik reached out to place his hand upon the artist’s arm but he stopped himself.  
“I can’t condone violence, Erik” Leo stared up at him with pain in his eyes. “But I’ve spent months wishing there was something I could do to make up for all the awful things that man did to Charles…” he reached out and grabbed hold of Erik’s hand. He stared into Erik’s deep orbs. “I knew you intended to kill him”  
“I had planned to make it a quick death” Erik murmured.

“Please tell me I did the right thing in telling you” Leonardo whispered.  
“You did” Erik assured him. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes. In his mind he could picture Shaw doing terrible things to Charles. Ever since the younger man had confided in him, Erik had tried not to dwell on it but it was difficult not to. He’d had dreams of a nameless, faceless man forcing himself upon a young Charles… Being able to put a face to the man did not make him feel better.  
In a twisted way he was almost relieved. He’d be lying if he said he’d never considered tracking the man down and punishing him for hurting Charles… Knowing he could exact his own revenge against Shaw and help Charles at the same time brought him a little bit of comfort.

“Charles can never know” Erik whispered to Leonardo. “The fact that you’ve kept my connection to Shaw a secret means something to me. I only hope you continue to keep it from him”  
“Erik, you can’t seriously expect to murder a man and not have Charles find out” Leo replied.  
“He hasn’t learned of the last one yet”  
“Last one?”  
“You think Shaw will be my first kill?”

Something in the artist’s eyes changed as he stared at Erik.  
“So Charles was right about you” Leo said very softly.  
“Right about what?”  
“He told me of the incident at the lake… the bandits who came upon you and how you used your gifts to stop them… You protected Charles but he confessed that… That he was afraid you were going to kill them”  
“I would have… I would not have hesitated if they’d laid more than a finger on Charles”  
“He fears there’s a killer inside you”  
“There is but he will never see it”  
“How can you be so sure of that?”  
“Because I love him”

“Erik, how many have you killed?” Leonardo asked. A part of him was hopeful the other man wouldn’t reply. He wasn’t really sure he wanted to know the answer.  
“Three” Erik confessed. “One was an accident”  
“And the other two?”  
“One got in my way, hindered my efforts and made me lose track of Shaw… He let Shaw get away from me; I got angry and lost control. The last one was Shaw’s son”  
“I had heard that death was an accident” Leo replied. “A runaway horse and carriage”  
“A metal carriage…” Erik paused then met the artist’s gaze. “Word of his death reached Florence?”  
“It reached me in Florence”  
“And did you pass this information onto Charles?”  
“No… I did not wish to dredge up memories for him”

“I’m not a crazed killer” Erik tried to assure the artist. “I just wish to avenge my mother’s death. Once I’ve taken care of Shaw, I will never have to kill again”  
“I want to tell you that you never had to kill in the first place… But I also want to know that Shaw will suffer for what he did to Charles”  
“Oh, he’ll suffer… I promise he will suffer for it”  
“How do you plan to kill him?”  
“I don’t know”

Leonardo raised a sceptical eyebrow.  
“The one thing you want more than anything else in the world” he began. “And you expect me to believe you’ve not thought about it?”  
“I think about it every day” Erik insisted as he clenched his hands into fists. “I have thought about it every day for years but until I know the circumstances, the where and the when… I had wanted it to be quick and over with yet other times I’ve thought of making it last hours or even days”

These words did little to ease the artists’ doubts. He truly believed Erik was being sincere but that didn’t make him feel any better.  
“Erik, are you truly very sure that this is what you want?” Leonardo asked him.  
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted” Erik replied. “He killed my mother… Not to mention the disgusting things he did to Charles… and he needs to pay for it”  
“Erik-”  
“Surely you knew once you told me of his connection to Charles that it would just make me want to achieve my goal even sooner”

“I told you what I know because I, myself, am a coward” Da Vinci confessed. “Ever since I learned the truth of what happened to Charles all those years ago, I’ve longed for payback… To make the man responsible pay for his crimes yet I do not have the strength or the cunning to see it through… But you… You do… And your….” He paused. “Your love for Charles… I can see it in your eyes every time you look at him… I knew you would want revenge too… I’m just lucky that the man you seek to kill is the same man I want to see punished”  
“Will you ever tell him?”  
“No”  
“Da Vinci… Your admission here is just further proof that I must leave sooner rather than later. I do not wish to leave Charles but the sooner I go, the sooner I will be back”

The artist leapt to his feet.  
“You cannot leave right now!” he insisted.  
“Is it not better that I go before Charles can stop me?” Erik asked.  
“No! You can’t sneak away in the middle of the night. You must return to his side and tell him one last time how much you love him”

The two men stared hard into each other’s eyes; neither one willing to back down. However Erik’s resolve caved first once he thought about his sweet, beautiful Charles who was still sleeping peacefully upstairs. He knew he could not simply walk away without seeing his love one last time.

“Curfew hasn’t even set in” the artist told him. “I shall take my leave for the night. Go and be with Charles… If he asks, I’ve gone to the barking dog…”  
He reached out and placed his hand upon Erik’s arm.  
“I don’t doubt your feelings for him” Da Vinci insisted. “Your leaving will hurt him, I know it will, but the promise of you returning will keep him going”  
Erik simply nodded his head; he didn’t know what else to say. The older man stayed where he was and watched in silence as the artist collected himself and slipped back up the stairs.  
He returned a few moments later, now fully dressed, and moved past Erik towards the door.

“Da Vinci” Erik said very softly, stopping the artist mid-step.  
“Yes?” Da Vinci turned around.  
“Thank you… For telling me the truth… and for not keeping Charles away from me”  
“Well… Then thank you for loving him the way he deserves to be loved”  
With those words still lingering in the air, Da Vinci slipped out the door.

Erik sank back down into one of the chairs at the workbench and mulled over everything the artist had told him. He thought if all the things Charles had told him about his stepfather and could picture Shaw doing each and every one of them to his Charles… It made him feel sick… and angry! He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such rage as he slammed his fist against the workbench.  
Then he closed his eyes and told himself to calm down. Charles was right up those stairs. He was asleep, safe and content after their vigorous lovemaking. Erik smiled at the very thought before climbing to his feet.

He quietly made his way back up the steps to Da Vinci’s larger workroom and sleeping quarters. Charles was still sleeping as Erik shed his clothing and climbed back onto the bed beside his sleeping lover. He slipped under the sheet and moved closer to Charles. Erik reached out and gently brushed his fingers down Charles’s cheek then he ran his thumb across Charles’s lips.  
He carefully brushed his lover’s hair off his forehead before placing a single kiss to the now exposed flesh.

Erik wrapped his arm around Charles’s waist and pulled the younger man’s body towards his own. He buried his face in Charles’s hair, breathing in his scent and committing it to his memory. He knew the very thought of Charles was going to be all he had for the next few weeks… possibly months. He’d already vowed not to return until he’d taken care of Shaw; Permanently.  
He kissed Charles’s scalp then closed his eyes, content to sleep the rest of the night away with Charles in his arms.

But Charles was already awake. He didn’t say a word or make a sound, happy to allow Erik these few moments of peace to do as he wished with his body. Erik was very careful, touching and caressing Charles with such love and tenderness. He felt Erik’s lips in his hair then felt the sigh of content leave his lover’s body.  
He was so very tempted to read Erik’s mind, so see what the older man was thinking but he knew he didn’t have to do that. Everything Erik was feeling right now was being reflected in the way he held Charles in his arms.  
The younger man was torn. A part of him wanted Erik to know he was awake so they could enjoy each other’s bodies but another part of him was enjoying the feeling of being held so lovingly in Erik’s arms.

Charles wondered where the maestro had disappeared to. He cast his mind but couldn’t sense him anywhere in the studio. Knowing that he and Erik had the entire place to themselves made his mind up for him. He carefully shifted his weight and began to stir, wanting Erik to believe he’d just awoken.  
He turned and cast his gaze upwards, his gaze met Erik’s and the older man stared down at him with such love in his eyes that Charles covered the space between them in an instant and kissed him.  
Erik was quick to return the embrace though Charles pulled away too soon for his liking. He slid his arm around Charles’s waist and held him in place.

“Erik” Charles’s voice was laced with sleep but there was something more too… Lust and desire… His own name had never sounded so sexy.  
Erik growled with approval. He held Charles in his arms and rolled them both over so his body was on top of the younger man’s. Naked flesh touching, their cocks rubbing together, their chests against the others. Erik raised himself, bracing his weight on one arm as he reached up with his other hand and touched Charles’s face.  
His love stared up at him from beneath his lashes and sensually licked his own lips. Erik leaned down and captured Charles’s mouth with his own. He heard his lover moan into the kiss and smiled to himself.  
He was going to miss this!  
Erik loved the sounds Charles made as he ravished his body. From the low whimpers to his aroused groans, not to mention his panted declarations of love.

“Erik” Charles whispered. Their lips barely separated. “Please?”  
“What, Charles?” Erik replied. “Please what?”  
But Charles didn’t respond with words. He reached down with his hand and wrapped his fingers around Erik’s long cock. The second Charles’s digits touched Erik’s flesh the organ began to harden with arousal.

“Maestro is gone” Charles murmured. “It’s just us, here and now”  
“He… He went out” Erik stammered as Charles’s fingers tormented him. “Won’t be back for hours” he managed to say.  
“Make me yours again”  
“You were always mine, Charles. You always will be”  
The younger man’s smile lit up his entire face.  
“I love you, Charles” Erik whispered in his lover’s ear.

Charles slipped his hand behind Erik’s neck then forced their lips together in a deep eager kiss. His heart was pounding, his lips almost bruised from Erik’s intense kisses and his skin was tingling where it came in contact with Erik’s naked flesh. He closed his eyes as Erik’s lips trailed light kisses down his neck and along his collarbone.

“Please, Erik?” Charles whimpered as he bucked his hips.

The older man smiled against Charles’s skin before reluctantly pulling away. Charles nervously bit his bottom lip. This tiny action only made Erik want him even more desperately than before. He leaned down and stole a single, quick kiss before urging the younger man to turn over. Charles relinquished his teasing of Erik’s cock and happily rolled onto his stomach.  
Erik lay beside him, gently stroking his hand up and down Charles’s back. He leaned down and placed a teasing kiss between his lover’s shoulder blades. His hand continued to move up and down Charles’s spine, gently teasing the top of his ass crack. Erik would slide his finger between the cheeks just enough to make Charles whimper before pulling away.

“Erik” Charles panted. “Please?”  
His lover sounded so beautiful when he begged. Erik grinned to himself in anticipation before leaning down and gently nipping at Charles’s skin. The younger man gave a small yelp of surprise while his cock began to harden.  
Erik smiled then slid his two fingers inside his lover’s waiting ass. 

“Erik?” Charles moaned.  
“Not long, Charles” Erik whispered. “Be patient, my love”  
“Want to watch you… Please?”

Erik chuckled then he gently rolled Charles onto his back. He stared down at the younger man while his lover gazed up at him with such admiration.  
He’d meant what he’d said to Da Vinci earlier… That when he looks at Charles he can’t quite believe someone like him could love someone like Erik.  
He carefully parted Charles’s legs and positioned himself just right. Charles may still be feeling the effects of having both Erik and Da Vinci inside him earlier so Erik wanted to take things slow.

Erik gently eased the tip of his cock inside Charles who instantly began to thrust his hips, wanting more than his lover was giving him.

“Easy, Charles” he whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you”  
“Never” Charles replied. “You could never hurt me, Erik”  
In that moment, Charles’s honesty nearly broke Erik.

He leaned down and kissed Charles with as much love and passion as he could muster as he thrust his hips. Erik thrust as hard as he dared while Charles continued to beg him for more and more.  
The younger man never felt as complete as when Erik was inside him. His lover’s massive cock filled him, not just physically but emotionally too. He closed his eyes and focused on nothing but Erik’s hard cock inside him.  
Charles kept his eyes closed so Erik couldn’t see the tears he was about to shed.

Erik slowed down his movements, easing himself in and out of his lover with care. He didn’t want it to be over so soon, he wasn’t ready to come yet. He wanted this moment to last forever and ever.  
He reached down and wrapped his arms around Charles, pulling the younger man up to meet him. Charles opened his eyes and stared into Erik’s as their bodies were brought together.  
And then they were kissing. Erik kissed Charles with as much passion and love as he could, his tongue possessing Charles’s mouth while his cock possessed Charles’s ass.

The younger man surrendered himself completely to Erik. Only too happy to submit himself to the man he loved. Erik already had his heart now Charles was giving him everything else he had to offer.

All too soon Charles’s muscles tightened around Erik’s hardness and the older man came, shooting his seed deep inside his lover’s body. Charles cried out in pure pleasure as he felt Erik come inside him and he surrendered to his own orgasm. Charles’s own seed spilled forth, covering Erik’s chest for a second time in one night.  
The two men collapsed in an exhausted heap on Da Vinci’s bed, both panting for breath and covered in a fine layer of sweat. Erik made a move to get up but Charles reached out and stopped him.

‘Not yet’ Erik heard Charles’s voice in his head. ‘Hold me just a moment longer’  
Erik lay back down and pulled Charles’s body into his arms. He closed his eyes for a second just as Charles did but they both fell asleep in an instant.

Not ten minutes later, Erik was awake again. He reluctantly released Charles and slid out of the bed. He went to the basin of water and cleaned himself off before moving back to Charles’s side. He quickly wiped the traces of their lovemaking from Charles’s skin before climbing back into bed with his lover.

Deep down in his heart, Erik knew this would be the last time he got to hold Charles in his arms all night. He couldn’t even say for certain when he would see his love again. Realistically it could be months before he could taste his lover’s lips… or touch his lithe body.  
He knew the right thing to do would be to tell Charles the truth… Well, some of the truth. That he had to leave and won’t know how long until his return. That he loves Charles and that it wouldn’t be fair to ask him to wait for him… Though he also knew that he wouldn’t have to ask… Charles *would* wait for him regardless. Breaking up with Charles before leaving town wouldn’t achieve anything… aside from an awkward conversation.

Erik leaned over and placed a kiss to Charles’s forehead.  
“I love you, Charles” he whispered. “And I will come back to you… someday”  
He stared down at his sleeping love for a long time. He wanted to stay and watch Charles sleep all night but he knew he couldn’t. Erik quietly slipped off the bed and moved about the room collecting his clothes. He was stealthy and managed to sneak downstairs without a sound.

He dressed quickly then made sure the main doors were still locked. Erik didn’t want to leave Charles all alone and unprotected. Once certain the place was secure, he located the passage Charles had sneaked him out of on previous occasions and with a sinking heart, he left Charles behind.

*

The passage brought him out on the street just near The Barking Dog. Erik wanted to avoid the place but his feet carried him towards the door. He went inside and found Da Vinci drinking with Zoraster in a far corner. He waited for the artist to glance his way and indicated for him to come over.  
Da Vinci excused himself and sauntered across the room towards Erik who had already slipped back outside.

The artist stepped out into the night air and looked around for Erik.  
“I’m going back to my room, packing my belongings and I’ll be gone long before dawn” Erik said to him.  
“Where will you go?”  
“I’m not going to tell you”  
“Erik”  
“If I don’t tell you then you can’t lie to Charles about it… It is better if you do not know either”  
“I have a small amount of money, hidden just outside the city”  
“I don’t want your money”  
“You might need it”  
“I don’t want it”  
“But you may need it… To buy your safe passage back here, to Charles”

Erik couldn’t deny that.  
“Will you send word?” Da Vinci asked. “Once you’ve…. ?”  
“I will try” Erik replied. “But the second I’m done, I’ll be making my way straight back here… to him”  
“You better”  
“I promise”

Da Vinci pulled out his sketch pad and tore out a page. He scribbled down directions to his hidden money then thrust the paper into Erik’s hands.

“I will look after him while you’re away” Da Vinci promised him.  
“I know you will”  
“Though I suspect he may be a wreck for some time”  
“Please don’t tell him I’ve gone…”  
“Erik-”  
“Just one or two day’s head start is all I need… I just need to be far enough away that he can’t read my thoughts”  
“I won’t lie to him”  
“Then lie by omission”

“Goodbye, Erik” Leonardo said. He held out his hand for Erik to shake it.  
“I’ll see you soon, Da Vinci” Erik replied as he shook the artists’ hand. “And please… Never stop telling Charles how much I love him”  
“I won’t… I promise”

With those words hanging in the air between them, Da Vinci turned on his heel and disappeared back inside the bar. Erik waited until the door had closed behind him before turning on his heel and heading towards his rented room. He had gone about three blocks before he stopped and examined the paper Da Vinci had given him.  
Instructions on how to find his hidden money were scrawled on one side. Erik turned the page over and found a simple yet stunning sketch of Charles. He held the image to his heart, in that moment he both loved and hated the artist for giving this to him. Then he tucked it into his pocket for safekeeping and continued walking.

*

Charles awoke the following morning all alone in Da Vinci’s large bed. He reached out a hand and felt the cold sheets beside him. His heart sank as he realized Erik must have slipped out during the night. He sat up, his eyes scanning the room for any sign that Erik was still close by.  
The room was warm, Charles could see a fire burning in the grate and a tub filled with water was in front of it. He reached out with his mind but couldn’t detect Erik at all; only Da Vinci’s presence. 

He heard footsteps on the stairs and slowly sat up, pulling the sheet with him. A moment later, Da Vinci appeared looking no worse than usual and he sauntered over to Charles.

“Good morning, Charles” he greeted him as he dropped down onto the bed beside his assistant.  
“Uh” Charles hesitated. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say or do right now. He was naked in the maestro’s bed… after having sex with the man the previous night. “Morning, Maestro”

Charles averted his eyes. He didn’t want things to be awkward but he wasn’t sure what else he should be feeling right now. Da Vinci was smiling at him.  
Was that going to be their thing now? Would the artist expect to have sex with him again?

“I trust you slept well?” Da Vinci asked him.  
“I… Uh… yes, maestro” Charles replied. He kept his head down, his fingers nervously twisting the sheets.  
“Charles, look at me… Please?”

His tone was gentle so Charles did as asked. He slowly raised his chin and met the older man’s gaze.  
“I’m sorry if my actions last night have embarrassed you, Charles” Da Vinci said to him. “Believe me, it was never my intention. I do hope you will forgive me for overstepping”  
“Maestro-” the artist held up his hand to silence Charles.  
“Charles, what you and Erik have is special and I never should have intruded on such a private matter. I assure you it will never happen again. I do not wish for things to be awkward between us… I hope I never see you in my bed ever again”

Charles felt himself blushing, remembering the time he and Erik had made love in Da Vinci’s bed without the artist even knowing.  
“Of course not, Maestro” Charles made to get up but the artist stopped him.

“Charles” Da Vinci’s voice was gentle. “I have an urgent errand to run so I’ve drawn you a bath” he nodded towards the fire. “But it will get cold fast so try to enjoy it while you can. I wish for you to take it easy today after your… vigorous activities last night… I only ask that you not leave the studio today. There’s unrest in the streets but Verrocchio is in his studio so you will not be alone. I shall return as soon as I can”  
“Maestro-”  
“Please, do as I ask Charles and I’ll explain everything later”

The younger man simply nodded his head in agreement. The older man had never lied to him in the past so there was no reason for him to be lying now. Charles waited until Da Vinci had taken his leave before he slipped out of bed and made his way to the waiting bath.  
He slid into the warm water, his body protesting after the workout he’d given it the night before. It felt nice to relax in front of the fire. His one regret was that Erik was not here to enjoy it with him. He closed his eyes and leaned back, imagining that Erik was there. He could envision the older man’s arms wrapped around him; could feel Erik’s lips upon his neck and hear his voice whispering words of love in his ear.

He stayed in the water until it had turned cold and his skin began to wrinkle then he climbed out and dried himself off. Charles went up to his room and pulled on some clean clothes then he returned to the studio and collected his discarded clothes from the previous night.

Charles was just finishing cleaning up when he heard footsteps on the stairs and he froze. A part of him was hopeful it was Erik but he knew Verrocchio wouldn’t allow him into the maestro’s studio without Da Vinci’s permission. The door opened and Zoraster burst into the room.

“Leo?” he called.  
“Zo?” Charles replied. “Maestro isn’t here”  
“Well where the fuck is he?”  
“He didn’t say where he was going”  
“It’s a mad house out there… People are rioting and going crazy”  
“They are? Why?”

Charles ran to the window and looked down at the street below. He saw members of the watchmen running past.  
“What’s going on?” Charles asked him.  
“No fucking idea” Zo replied. “The whole city is in lockdown… No one is allowed to leave”  
“Have you seen Vanessa? Is she safe?”  
Zo nodded his head as he moved around the room.

“Oh God! Erik!” Charles shouted. He began to run across the room, heading for the staircase but Zo reached out and grabbed his arm, effectively stopping him.  
“You can’t go out there, Charles” he insisted.  
“But Erik’s out there”  
“He can take care of himself”  
“What if he’s hurt? I need to-”  
“You can’t, Charles! Leo told you to stay here where it was safe”  
“But I need to know Erik is safe too”

He closed his eyes and tried to reach out to his love but he couldn’t sense him. He took a deep breath and tried again. Still nothing.

“I… I can’t!” Charles cried. “I can’t sense him!”  
“Hey, Charles…. Charles!” Zo tried to calm the younger man. “He might just be too far away. You said yourself his rooms are on the outskirts of town. Have you been able to sense him before?”  
“I… No, I… I never tried”  
“I’m sure he’s okay, Charles”  
“But I… I can’t take that chance; I have to go to him!”

Charles broke free of Zoraster’s grasp and ran towards the stairs. Zo shouted for him to stop but the younger man ignored him. All that mattered to him was getting to Erik. Zo continued to yell at him as he ran through the studio. Charles threw open the door to the workshop and had barely gone three steps before he collapsed.

“Charles!” Zo shouted. Verrocchio was standing by him with a piece of wood in his hand.  
“What did you do?” Zo asked the older man.  
“I knew we wouldn’t be able to stop him” he explained. “Leonardo said to make sure Charles stayed here”  
“You’re a fucking genius”  
“Thank you… But I think we should get him upstairs before he wakes up”

Zo agreed and he carefully scooped Charles up into his arms and carried his unconscious body back up the stairs. He placed the younger man on top of Da Vinci’s bed then pulled up a chair to keep an eye on him.  
He spotted a large canvas in the corner, one he’d not seen before so he made his way over to it. He carefully turned it around, wondering what crazy image Leo had decided to draw this time.

The drawing took his breath away. Both Charles and Erik were nude; the younger man was astride Erik with his head tossed back. The expressions on both men’s faces were nothing short of perfection. He could clearly see the love they felt for each other practically leaping off the canvas.  
No wonder Charles had been so determined to get to Erik a few moments ago.

“Charles, you lucky bastard” Zo muttered to himself.  
He’d been in the studio on more than one occasion while Erik was posing, nude, and had seen with his own eyes just how impressive Erik’s form was. He didn’t know if he should feel jealous or pleased that Charles of all people had managed to catch Erik’s eye… although from the image on the canvas it wasn’t just his eye that Charles appeared to have captured.

Zo heard footsteps on the stairs and reached for the blade he kept in his belt. He stepped in front of the unconscious Charles, clutching the knife in his hand. The door opened and Verrocchio appeared with Vanessa in tow. 

“I came here through Leo’s secret tunnel” she explained. “The whole city appears to be out of control. Where’s Leo?”  
“We don’t know” Zo explained. “He left Charles here with Verrocchio but didn’t say where he was going”  
“How is he sleeping through this?” Vanessa asked, gazing at Charles.  
“He’s not asleep…. We knocked him out”  
“You… What?”

She moved over to Charles and placed her hand upon his forehead. She closed her eyes for a moment then turned and looked at Zo.  
“He’ll be out for another half hour or more” she informed him.  
“We had to stop him from leaving” he explained. “He was determined to go out there” he pointed down to the street.  
“Why? Why would he want…?”  
“He wanted to get to Erik”  
“You… You know about them?”  
“Wait, you know about them?”

“Of course, I’ve known for weeks” she replied.  
“I literally just found out when Charles heard there was rioting in the street and all he wanted to do was get to Erik” Zo explained.

“Has anyone heard from Erik?” Vanessa looked from Zo to Verrocchio and back again.  
“Leo saw him at the Barking Dog last night” Zo replied.  
“But no one has heard from him this morning?”  
“No”

“That doesn’t bode well” Verrocchio said. “Well, we’re all thinking it. Erik knows where Charles is… If he were as worried as we all are then he’d be here to protect him”  
“You think something’s happened to him?”

“Erik’s fine”  
Leonardo’s voice cut through the room, startling his three friends.  
“Leo!” Vanessa ran across the room and threw her arms around him. “I was so worried about you! What’s happened?”

“There was an attempted attack on Lorenzo and Clarice last night” Da Vinci explained. “Someone breached the palazzo and tried to assassinate both of them… Whoever did it didn’t succeed but they did manage to escape. The entire city is on lockdown as they try to find him”  
“But that could take days” Vanessa stated.  
“The bastard is probably long gone anyway” Zo added.

“And Erik?” Verrocchio asked. “You’ve seen him? You know he’s fine?”  
“No” Leo replied. “I haven’t seen him since last night”

He turned to look at Charles.  
“What happened to him?” Leo asked.  
“We knocked him out to stop him from trying to leave” Zo explained. “He was desperate to find Erik and with his… skills… we knew we couldn’t stop him”  
“You did the right thing” Leo told him. 

There was a deep sadness in his eyes as he gazed at Charles.  
“Lorenzo has put a reward on Erik’s head” he said. “They think he’s the one who tried to kill them”  
“Erik? You think Erik was…?”  
“No! I do not believe it but Lorenzo does… I just came from the palazzo… But Lorenzo wouldn’t see me… A man matching Erik’s vague description was seen fleeing the scene and since Erik was seen leaving the city during the night… they think he’s behind the attack”

“Why was Erik leaving the city in the dead of the night?” Zo asked. “It seems a bit suss if you ask me”  
“Erik told me yesterday that he was leaving but that he would be back. He loves Charles”  
“Leo… None of us really know Erik… How do you know he didn’t plan this attack?”  
“I just told you… He loves Charles and he’s going to come back for him”  
“But how can-” Verrocchio began. Leo cut him off.  
“You all trust me?”

All three of them nodded their heads in agreement.  
“Then trust me on this” Leo insisted. “Erik is in love with Charles and he would not risk doing something as ridiculous as killing Lorenzo if his punishment for getting caught would keep him from Charles”

“Someone thinks Erik tried to kill Lorenzo?” Charles’s voice startled them all.

“You said he’d be out for another half hour” Zo muttered to Vanessa.  
“I was obviously wrong” she replied.

Leonardo turned to Charles who was already on his feet.  
“Some people in the city believe it” he explained. “I do not… And I swear to you, Charles, as soon as I can talk to Lorenzo I will plead Erik’s innocence”  
“But how can you be sure Erik *is* innocent?” Zo wanted to know.  
“Have you seen Erik, Maestro?” Charles asked. There was fear in his eyes. “Have they caught him?”

The artist didn’t know who to answer first. Zo’s question was easier but embarrassing for Charles… Charles’s answer would break his heart. The younger man didn’t know Erik had left the city. Leo had promised not to tell Charles straight away so Erik could get a safe enough distance away that the younger man wouldn’t be able to follow him… But with the city on lockdown Charles wouldn’t be able to chase after Erik anyway.

Leo sighed in defeat.  
“The attack happened just after midnight” he explained. “And Erik was here most of the night”  
“So you can swear to Lorenzo that Erik couldn’t have done this?” Charles asked, hopefully.  
“I can’t but you can, Charles… He was here with you, wasn’t he?”  
“I… I don’t know what time he left here, Maestro” Charles admitted. “But if they haven’t caught him yet… if we canfind him first then we can all go to Lorenzo and tell him…”

“Charles…” Leonardo reached out and took hold of the younger man’s hand. He stared into his friend’s eyes, wishing he didn’t have to break his heart right this second. “We’re not going to find him and neither are they”  
“Why not?” Charles asked him.  
“I’m sorry, Charles but Erik is gone”  
“Gone? What do you mean, ‘gone’?”  
“He left the city last night”  
“He left… the city?”  
“You always knew he wasn’t going to stay…”  
“And he just left… without even saying goodbye”  
“He wanted to but he… He told me that… He knew he could never say goodbye to you… that if he tried, he’d never have the strength to walk away”  
“So he just left?”  
“He will come back, Charles… He told me himself that he loves you and he will come back for you… He just doesn’t know when”  
“No… No… I…”

Tears were streaming down Charles’s cheeks as he turned on his heel and fled the room. He raced up the stairs to his tiny room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Leonardo turned to Zoraster, Vanessa and Verrocchio who were all staring at him.  
“He will be back” Leo insisted. “He promised”

*

The city stayed in lockdown for a few days. Verrocchio didn’t see Charles in his studio at all. He asked Leo if the younger man was okay but the artist could only shrug.  
Leo tried several times to talk to Lorenzo but the palazzo was heavily guarded. After three days, Leonardo had finally managed to get through the city streets to the Barking Dog.  
Vanessa was there, flirting with Giuliano. She looked up and waved at the artist who made a beeline for the younger Medici.

“Giuliano?” Leonardo cut straight to the point. “I need to speak with Lorenzo”  
“My brother is busy with the safety of the city” he replied, sounding bored. “He doesn’t need unnecessary interruptions from the likes of you”  
“But he’s looking for the wrong man”  
Giuliano simply laughed.

“Giuliano, please?” Leonardo didn’t like to beg but, in this instance, he felt he had to. “Please, just tell Lorenzo he needs to call off the man hunt. Erik is not the man responsible for the attack”  
“And how could you possibly know that?”  
“Because… Erik was in my studio when the attack happened. I’m telling you, I know it wasn’t him! You have to believe me”  
“And why do you even care?”  
“I don’t” the artist sounded exasperated.

“Artiste” Giuliano turned and looked him directly in the eyes. “Can you show me proof that this Erik is not linked to the attack on my brother and his wife?”  
“Proof?” Leonardo paused. “Only my word… Which I know Lorenzo trusts”  
“Well my brother is quite the fool where you are concerned”  
“Please?”  
“It’s not like you to be so… Desperate… You’re practically begging”

“Giuliano?” Vanessa spoke up. “I saw Erik here that night. He never would have had time to go from the studio to the palazzo and back here in that time frame”  
“So you’re standing by Da Vinci’s word?” he asked her.  
“I am”  
“Pity”  
“Please, Giuliano?” Vanessa smiled sweetly at him. “Talk to your brother… Try to change his mind… We’re right about this, which means the people who are responsible are still out there and may try again”  
“Why on earth would you defend a nobody like this Erik fellow?”

Vanessa looked at Leo. They exchanged a look. Neither one of them wanted to bring Charles into the fold.  
“Because it’s the truth” Vanessa insisted.  
“I can not make any promises” he replied. “But I’ll see what I can do”

*

The following day Leonardo was called to the palazzo for a private meeting with Lorenzo. He took Charles with him as a second witness, should he need one. Charles was nervous. He looked run down, tired, he hadn’t been outside in days. The artist had never seen Charles so defeated.  
It tore at his heart to see Charles with such a broken heart. He kept his promise to Erik and constantly told Charles the older man would be back but his assistant appeared doubtful… Especially while Erik was a wanted man.

Lorenzo was angry at how little progress was being made to find his attacker and seemed ready to hang the next person who crossed him. Charles kept his head down, listening to the exchange between the artist and the banker but not really hearing it.  
Leonardo presented his argument and showed Lorenzo a number of sketches of Erik. He was hopeful that the older man would not recognize Erik’s image. Fortunately his hunch was correct for Lorenzo had only managed a quick peek at the man who’d threatened him. He’d relied on descriptions from members of the watchmen when issuing the arrest warrant.

The longer Lorenzo stared at the portrait, the more certain he became that Erik was not the man he was looking for. Charles had to fight back tears of relief. He wished there was some way to get word to Erik so the older man could come back to him.  
He returned to the studio in slightly better spirits than when he left. The artist kept an eye on him for the rest of the afternoon but nothing he did could bring a smile to Charles’s face.

*

Two weeks passed before word came that Lorenzo’s attacker had been caught. Days later, there was a public hanging in the town square. Leonardo, Charles, Zoraster and Vanessa were amongst the revellers in the crowd. As the man was led to his death, Charles caught a glimpse of his face and could see the similarities between him and Erik.  
This caused a pain in his heart and Charles left before the man could be executed. He returned to the studio and started to clean up but the artist hadn’t been working much so the place was fairly tidy already.

In the end, Charles retired to him room and pulled the door closed. He’d been spending so much time in there that he’d memorized every inch of the small room. The only new item was a large canvas in one corner which he kept an old sheet over. Every so often he would rip the sheet off and just sit on his bed, staring at the painting of him and Erik together.  
Da Vinci had done such an amazing job capturing their likenesses and their love that the first few times Charles had looked at it, he’d been reduced to tears. Now his emotions fluctuated between heartbreak and love.

He knew Erik loved him. The older man had told him as much. Charles had looked into his eyes and believed every word Erik had ever said to him. He was certain Erik would return but he had no idea when. He was scared for his love. What if he was hurt and there was no one around to help him?  
He was often kept awake at night by nightmares of Erik being hurt and dying in a ditch somewhere. 

Da Vinci tried his best to distract Charles with work and errands but the younger man’s eyes had lost their spark. He did everything that was asked of him but it was clear he was simply going through the motions.

*

Another week passed before the artist was forced to intervene. He couldn’t stand to see Charles in such a depressed state of mind. With Zo in tow, the three of them left the city on another of the artists’ crazy ventures. It became clear every time they passed a village that Charles was looking for Erik. Leonardo didn’t have the heart to tell him that Erik was probably miles and miles away.  
They ventured to Siena and by the time they returned to Florence, Leo was certain he’d seen at least one smile on Charles’s face. The artist, once again, reminded Charles that Erik was surly thinking of him right now. 

*

A month passed and even Da Vinci was becoming concerned. He knew Erik’s task wasn’t something he could complete in a day but he’d expected some kind of word to have reached his ears.  
A break came late one evening. Leo was at the Barking Dog with Zo, Vanessa was distracted with Giuliano and didn’t see the man approach Zo and Leo. He slipped a parchment into Zo’s hand then disappeared without a word.  
Zoraster opened it and placed it on the table for Leo to read.

“Erik’s been busy” Zo muttered. “Are you going to tell Charles?”  
“He doesn’t need to know this”  
“What? That his step-brother was stabbed eight times despite being alone in his own home?”  
“I didn’t tell him about the horse killing his other step-brother so why bring this us?”  
“You do think it was Erik, don’t you?”  
“Too much of a co-incidence not to be”  
“Are you sure he’s the right… type of person for Charles to be with?”  
“Present company excluded you mean?”

“Hey, I’m sly and sneaky” Zo defended himself. “But I’m definitely not a murderer”  
“It doesn’t matter what I think” Leo replied. “Charles is in love with him and, I do truly believe, that Erik loves Charles”  
“How can you be sure? How long did they know each other, a month?”  
“You forget Charles can read minds… He wears his heart on his sleeve and I think he was a good influence on Erik”  
“I can’t believe he can kill so easily… He seemed so…”

“Hey, shhhhh” Leo placed his finger to Zo’s lips, effectively silencing him. “No one’s supposed to know about him… And Charles can never find out! It’s not like he leaves a trail of bodies everywhere he goes”  
“You said he almost killed some bandits outside the city”  
“Bandits who threatened Charles… Why did I even tell you all this?”  
“Because I asked and you needed to share”  
“A mistake I’m beginning to regret”

“How long are you going to give him?” Zo asked.  
“Give who?”  
“Erik… How long until you stop coddling Charles and let him face reality”  
“The reality is ‘Erik is coming back’ and I’ll give him as long as it takes him”

*

A few more weeks passed before Da Vinci began to get strict with Charles. He started working again and things were returning to normal. The artist started to send Charles out on errands including a few special tasks with Zo.  
It wasn’t until late one night when Charles was escorted to the studio by Captain Dragonetti himself that Leo realized just how badly his assistant was hurting. He thanked the captain for not writing the infraction in his log then he carried the intoxicated Charles up to bed.  
Leo put the young man to sleep in his bed in the studio then set himself up at the workbench to watch over his friend. He knew Charles wouldn’t be feeling well come morning.

The artist stayed awake all night, watching over Charles. He was very worried for the younger man’s state of mind. Leonardo was very, very tempted to tell Charles the truth about Erik’s absence but he felt the truth would only upset him more.

In the morning, when Charles awoke with a pounding headache, Leonardo was by his side in an instant. Charles looked up at him with such hurt in his eyes that the older man simply climbed onto the bed beside him and pulled him into a hug.  
Charles tried to fight back his tears but quickly surrendered to his feelings. He clung to the artist and quietly sobbed into his chest. Neither one of them said a word. Leonardo held Charles in his arms, gently stroking his back and assuring him that Erik would be back before he knew it… But as more time passed, Leonardo was starting to have doubts.

*

About a week after Charles’s late night drinking session, Leo was looking for the younger man. He shouted through the studio for him but received no reply so he dragged himself up the stairs to Charles’s small bedroom. He knocked twice then pushed the door open.  
Charles was sat on his bed with his eyes closed. A pained expression of intense concentration was upon his features and his nose was bleeding.

“Charles?” Leonardo cried.  
He hurried to the younger man’s side and shook him, attempting to pull him from his own mind. Charles gasped and struggled to draw breath. Leo carefully lay Charles down on his back as he attempted to breathe.

“Charles?” Leonardo tried again. “Can you hear me?”  
“Maestro?” Charles coughed.  
“Charles? Are you okay?”  
“No”  
“What were you doing?”

Charles opened his eyes and stared up at the artist.  
“I… Was trying to find him” he confessed.  
“Oh Charles” Leo sighed. He reached out and took Charles’s hand in his.

“My abilities are getting stronger” Charles said. “I can reach further… I… I’ve been practicing… If I become strong enough, I may be able to find him, talk to him… Find out why he left me”  
“Erik didn’t leave you, Charles…”  
“Yes, he did… And he didn’t even say goodbye… I just want to know why”

Leonardo nervously chewed his bottom lip. He hoped Charles wouldn’t attempt to use his abilities on him for he’d be able to find all the answers to his questions in Da Vinci’s mind.  
“You know why he didn’t say goodbye” Leo offered. “He was scared to”  
“But he wasn’t scared of hurting me… Didn’t he know how much his leaving would hurt me? I told him so much… I trusted him and opened up to him… I thought he…”  
“He does!” Leo insisted. “He does love you and I’m going to keep saying it to you again and again so you don’t ever forget it”  
“If he truly loved me then he never would have left”  
“He left because he *does* love you… He’s protecting you by leaving… He’s going to come back… I wish I could tell you more, Charles, but… I just need you to trust me on this”  
“I do trust you, maestro”  
“Good… Now you just wait and you’ll see that you were right to trust me and to believe in him” 

*

Fortunately a letter arrived at the studio that very afternoon. It was addressed to Charles who recognized Erik’s handwriting immediately. He excused himself from the workers and hurried up to his room to read it.  
Once upstairs, he sat himself down on his bed and simply stared at the sealed letter… He was suddenly too scared to open it. He spent more than five minutes just running his finger over the scrawl that was his name.  
Charles couldn’t bring himself to break the seal and open the letter.

What if Erik wasn’t going to come back and this was his way of saying goodbye? Charles wasn’t ready to have his heart ripped out again.  
Then he began to think of other possibilities.  
What if Erik was injured and he needed Charles to help care for him?  
Or maybe Erik was actually married and everything he’d ever said to Charles had been nothing more than a lie?  
That last scenario brought tears to Charles’s eyes but he quickly blinked them away.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, just staring at the sealed letter. Each time he picked it up to open it he’d change his mind and put it down again.  
Charles heard voices coming from downstairs. He snatched the letter up in his hand and hurried down to the workshop.  
Leonardo and Vanessa were both there. Vanessa was admiring some designs the artist had been working on. She looked up and saw Charles standing about half way down the stairs.

“Charles!” she exclaimed, smiling at him.  
“Vanessa” he greeted her with a nod of his head.  
“What’s wrong? Do you want to talk about it?”  
“I… I got a letter” he held it up for her to see. “From Erik”  
“What does it say?” her face lit up and she hurried across the room to him.  
“I don’t know… I haven’t…” he trailed off.

Leonardo watched the two of them but didn’t say anything. Charles handed the still sealed paper to Vanessa.  
“Charles, why haven’t you read it?” she asked him.  
“I…” he paused.  
“You’re afraid it’s his way of saying he’s not coming back?”  
Charles nodded his head. He won’t look at her or Da Vinci.  
The older man crossed the room and took the letter from Vanessa’s hand. He turned it over several times in his hand. Vanessa could see the look of uncertainty on his face.

“Will one of you read it to me?” Charles asked. “Please?”  
“Are you sure?” Vanessa replied.  
“Yes… I’m sure”

She held out her hand for Leo to give the letter back to her. He handed it over without hesitation. She carefully opened the seal and unfolded the parchment.

“Wait” Da Vinci interrupted. “I’ll read it first”  
Charles watched as the artist took the paper back from Vanessa. If it weren’t for the feeling of uncertainty in his stomach and the ache in his heart, he probably would have found the entire exchange to be funny.  
He watched in nervous silence as Da Vinci’s eyes scrolled down the page. His face showed no sign of emotion and Charles was too anxious to read his mind. 

After what felt like an eternity, Leonardo handed the page to Vanessa. She stared at him, unable to determine his reaction to Erik’s words. She turned her attention to the parchment and reached out to take hold of Charles’s hand.

“Dear Charles” she read aloud. “I do hope you can forgive me for leaving the way I did. I wanted to say goodbye to you but in truth I was too afraid. I believed that if I saw you one last time, I would never be able to say the right words to you… And that I never would have had the strength to walk away from you. Our time together, however brief, meant so much to me. It hurt me, knowing that I had to leave you. I could not stay in Florence as I had other pressing matters to attend to but once these have been taken care of, I promise nothing will keep me away. I think about you every single day. I want you to know that I love you and I will return to you as soon as I possibly can.  
I pray my actions haven’t caused you pain but I’m certain they have. It was never my intention to hurt you just as it was never my plan to fall in love with you”  
Vanessa paused and squeezed Charles’s hand. She blinked back her tears so she could continue reading.

“I know you’re safe with Da Vinci. That he will protect you while I’m gone. You have a good life and good friends who care about you. I should have said all this to you before I left or at least left a note like this for you but I had to leave in a hurry… I’m writing to you now to let you know that I’m okay, my journey has taken me far away from you but I’m closer than ever to being finished and then I can return to you. Most nights the only thing keeping me going is thought of you. The memory of your smile makes me smile.  
I wish I were with you right now, saying these words to your face while I hold you in my arms… With the promise of making love to you all night long”  
Vanessa’s voice began to waiver.  
“Know that I love you, Charles… And I hope that when I return to Florence in the future, maybe even tomorrow, that you will still love me as much as I love you.  
All my love, Erik”

Vanessa looked up and saw the tears in Charles’s eyes. She reached out and pulled him into a hug. They held onto each other for the longest time.

“He loves you, Charles” Vanessa whispered in his ear.  
“I know” Charles replied. “I love him too”

*

Erik’s letter seemed to have broken Charles out of his funk. The younger man still had sadness in his eyes but he became more engaging and actively participated in conversations around him. Leonardo spied him in various places around the workroom and the studio reading the letter to himself. The artist strongly suspected Charles had taken to sleeping with the letter tucked under his pillow for safekeeping.

The excitement of Erik’s letter lasted about two weeks…  
Charles was beginning to fall back into a stupor when a second letter arrived. He was much less hesitant to open this one but he still waited until he was alone in the privacy of his room to read it.  
He was glad he did as Erik went into great detail to describe some of the dreams he’d been having about Charles… The images he depicted were almost enough to make the younger man blush.

A third letter arrived about a week after the second one. It was the shortest letter he’d ever received yet it had the most impact on him. Erik’s declaration of love brought tears to his eyes.  
He knew it was silly to believe it… For he and Erik had known each other for barely a month. How could they be certain it was love?  
Every time he began to doubt his feelings, he would pull the sheet off the canvas in his room and stare at the image Da Vinci had captured. He’d stare at Erik’s hands on his body… at the look of happiness on his own face and look of desire on Erik’s. Then he would lie on his bed, gaze at the painting and cry himself to sleep while pretending the arms wrapped around him were not his own but Erik’s.

*

Leonardo was leaving a meeting with Lorenzo when he first heard the news. Several members of the Medici bank were having a very in depth discussion about the tragic death of Sebastian Shaw. The artist stopped walking and turned around. He made his way back to the group of men.

“Excuse me” he loathed engaging them in conversation. “But what have you heard about Sebastian Shaw?”  
“Word only reached us this morning” one of them replied. “He’s dead”  
“Oh? Old age?” Leonardo asked.  
“Hardly” the man said with a shrug of his shoulder.

“What happened to him then, an accident?” Leo pressed on. They were being very coy.  
“Well, we don’t know all the details yet” another man spoke up. “We only found out because there’s a dispute about his successor… He outlived both of his son’s and neither of them had a son of their own”  
“There’s a step-son” the first man added. “But no one knows where to find him… He disappeared a long time ago with no trace…” he lowered his voice. “Some suspect one of the sons killed him to make sure he wasn’t entitled to any of the inheritance”  
Leonardo narrowed his eyes. He didn’t feel any sympathy for Sebastian or his cruel sons. He knew the type of torment Charles had suffered at the hands of each of them. Right now he was silently hopeful that Sebastian’s death had been very painful.

“Will someone attempt to find this mystery step-son?” Leonardo asked them.  
“Who knows?”  
“So how did he die?”  
“Why do you want to know?”  
“I’m a curious being is all”

The older man made a noise like a grunt which effectively ended the conversation. They all turned their backs on the artist and continued on their way.  
Leonardo watched them go, trying to decide what to do next. He needed more information but didn’t know where to obtain it. He took a deep breath, turned on his heel and marched back to see Lorenzo again.

The guard was reluctant to let him pass but he spotted Clarice so he left the hall and hurried after her.  
“Da Vinci” she greeted him. “Has my husband set you another impossible task?”  
“No task is impossible for someone like me” he assured him.  
“At least you’re modest and humbled, artiste”

“Uh… Clarice…?” Leonardo hesitated.  
“What is it?” she asked. She could tell something was bothering him.  
“I… uh… overheard some of the bankers discussing the death of a man named Sebastian Shaw”  
“Oh yes… Word reached us yesterday evening”  
“May I ask…? What happened to him, exactly?”  
“A tragic accident… They seem to follow his family”  
“An accident, you say?”  
“It would appear so… He was hosting a lavish party on one of his estates. The man was rich and moved from one property to another… No one ever knew where he was at any given time because he moved so often” she paused.  
“So what happened to him?”  
“It’s rather tragic; he was hosting an event and went down to the wine cellar himself… The door seemed to have locked behind him and one of the wine racks fell on top of him”  
“And no one found him in time to save him?”  
“It would appear he was trapped beneath the rack for hours until he was crushed to death”  
“That is tragic” Leonardo agreed.

He took his leave not long after and immediately went in search of Zo. He found his friend in record time and hurried him away from prying ears.  
“Zo” he began. “He’s dead… Sebastian Shaw is dead”  
“Where the fuck did you hear that?” Zo asked in shock.  
“I’ve just come from seeing Lorenzo and overheard some of the bankers discussing it”  
“So it was Erik?”  
“It had to be…”

They made their way along the back streets towards the Barking Dog tavern.  
“Did they catch him?” Zo asked.  
“No” Leo replied. “He covered his tracks well… It appears to have been an accident”  
“So it wasn’t Erik then? It was an accident?”  
“What are the chances of him being killed in a spontaneous accident just as Erik starts hunting him?”

Zo reached out and grabbed hold of his friend’s arm, effectively stopping them both in their tracks.  
“Are you going to tell Charles?” Zo asked him.  
“Tell him what?”  
“About Shaw?”  
“I don’t know… I don’t want him to become suspicious, especially if Erik returns very soon”  
“You really think he’s coming back here?”  
“Erik is coming for Charles”

Zo cocked his head and indicated for Leo to follow him. They moved into a small alcove.  
“Are you going to let him go?” Zo asked him.  
“Let who go?”  
“Charles”  
“Why would I have to let him go?”  
“Leo, do you really think Erik is going to be content to live here in Florence?”

The artist paused and looked at Zo. It hadn’t once occurred to him that Erik’s return could mean Charles’s departure.  
“You think he’s going to take Charles away?” Leonardo asked.  
Zo simply shrugged.  
“I don’t know but I think it’s a possibility”

*

Charles was cleaning down the workbench when Zo and Leonardo returned. He looked up and greeted them both before returning to his task. The younger man didn’t see the look that passed between the two men.

“Charles?” Da Vinci asked began.  
“Maestro” Charles replied. “Did another letter arrive for me?”  
“I’m sorry, not today”  
He saw the look of disappointment on the younger man’s face.  
“Charles” he continued while trying to sound casual. “Have you… Given much thought to… Are you going to…” he didn’t know how to ask the question.

“Leo wants to know if you’re going to run off and leave him as soon as Erik comes back” Zoraster blurted out.  
“What?” Charles was genuinely shocked by the question.  
“Well, are you?”

The younger man sank into one of the chairs, his eyes shifted from Zo to Leo and back again. Both men were watching him very closely. He was very tempted to read one or both of their minds.

“Zo” Charles started. “I… I don’t know”  
“How can you not know?”  
“Because Erik and I never talked about it… We… We never talked about our future”  
“But you did plan on having one with him?”  
“One what?”  
“A future”

“I did” Charles averted his eyes. “I mean, I do…”  
“Charles?” Leonardo moved towards his assistant and sat down in the chair next to his. He reached out and placed his hand on top of Charles’s. “Talk to me, please?”  
“I love him, Maestro and I want to be with him but I… I don’t want to leave you… I… I like working here and learning from you… I don’t want to have to choose between him and my life here”  
“I will never ask you to make a decision like that… You will always have a place here, Charles. I promise you that”

The younger man simply nodded his head in understanding. He spoke the truth, he really did like the life he’d built for himself with the artist but he did fear Erik would ask him to give it all up.  
As eager as he was for Erik to return to him, he was also afraid. Afraid of having his entire life turned upside down once again.  
“Charles” Leo said to him. “I want you to know that I do think of you as a friend, not my employee… And you are free to come and go from here. If you truly believe your future is with Erik then do not let your fear of the unknown hold you back. You will always be welcome here”

“Leo?” Zo spoke up.  
“Yes, I’m getting to that” the artist cut him off. The he turned and looked at Charles again.  
“What? What is it?” Charles’s eyes opened wide. 

“Charles, I was with Lorenzo this morning” Leo began. “And I overheard some of the bankers… talking…”  
“No…” Charles shook his head. “Not Erik, please!”  
“No, it’s not Erik… Charles, Sebastian Shaw is dead”

Charles felt all the air rush from his lungs as his heart began to pound. He’d not heard that name for a long time. He never even spoke it aloud himself… He hadn’t even revealed the name to Erik. Charles had been tempted to but he’d just assumed they had the rest of their lives together to talk about their pasts.

“Are you sure?” Charles asked him.  
“I spoke to Clarice and she confirmed that word reached them yesterday” Leo explained. “Shaw is dead”  
“How? I mean, did she tell you how he… how it happened?”  
“Does it matter?”  
“I… I want to know”  
“A freak accident, he was trapped under some debris and was crushed”

Charles slowly nodded his head as he nervously chewed his bottom lip. As much as he told himself he’d moved past it, he knew, deep down that he was still allowing himself to feel like a victim. It was wrong and he knew it. He hadn’t been at the mercy of his step-family for years. Yet not a day went by that he didn’t think of what they did to him.  
Except for when he was with Erik.  
The older man put him at ease, made him feel safe and loved. Charles felt safe with him. He felt protected and wanted. Erik didn’t see him as a victim.

He wasn’t quite sure what Erik saw in him but every time their eyes met and he could see the love and devotion directed at him, he felt what it was like to be the centre of someone’s world.  
Charles held back a sigh. As soon as Erik returned he was going to have to tell him the truth. He would have to sit him down and tell him the entire story… He was certain Erik would stay by his side.

“Charles?” Leo sounded nervous.  
“Thank you for telling me, Maestro” Charles replied. “May I be excused?”  
“Of course”

Charles slid off the chair and quietly made his way out of the workshop. Both Leo and Zo watched his retreating form. Zo dropped into the chair he had just vacated.

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Zo asked.  
“You know what?” Leo replied. “I really think he is”

*

Charles made his way up the stairs to his room and closed the door behind him. He sank down onto the bed and stared at the wall. His head was brimming with so many conflicting thoughts. It was times like this he wished his gifts allowed him to compartmentalise better.  
He knew he should feel relieved, knowing that Shaw could never hurt him again but he’d not seen the man for years. As far as he knew his step-father had forgotten all about him the moment he’d walked out… He’d probably gotten too old for his tastes anyway.

He lay down and gazed up at the ceiling.  
His life had been so different before he’d discovered his gifts. He’d been too young to defend himself so he’d just learned to accept it… Had decided the best way to survive was to close his eyes and just wait for it all to be over.  
If he’d discovered his gifts sooner, he could have saved himself a lot of physical trauma… But then he wouldn’t have been desperate enough to run away. He wouldn’t have been out on the street or been found by Da Vinci.

Once he’d learned how best to control his gifts, he had considered seeking out his family. He could have taken his revenge but it wasn’t in his nature. He was a stronger person for having survived what he had.

Charles closed his eyes.  
He hadn’t tried to use his reach since the artist had caught him but he needed to do it now. He took a deep breath and very slowly released it. His mind opened and he tried to visualise Erik. He reached out, pushing himself further than last time.  
He’d just been told news that took him by surprise. He needed someone to talk to, someone who would understand. No… He just wanted Erik.  
He wanted the older man by his side, wanted to be taken into his arms and held all night while the shock wore off.

He kept his breathing even, trying to control his focus, reaching out further and further until his head began to ache. He managed to hold back a cry of pain but when he sat up, the room began to spin and he could feel blood trickling from his nose. 

“Oh, Erik” Charles whispered. “I wish you were here”

*

At that very moment, Erik was wishing the exact same thing. He longed to be back in Florence with Charles. After all these years he’d finally achieved the one thing he’d been longing for. His plan of revenge had gone off without a hitch.  
He knew he’d never forget the moment Sebastian Shaw had drawn his final breath. He’d stood over the man, using his gift to press the metal wine rack upon Shaw’s chest. The older man had stared up at him as the life slowly seeped from his body.  
Erik had walked over to him and sank down to his knees right beside his head. The anger and hatred inside him spilled forth as he brought Shaw closer and closer to the brink of death.

Then he’d leaned down and spoken his first words to the man.  
“I’ve waited a long time for this” he’d said. “You killed my mother and I promised myself I would not stop looking for you… I swore to make you suffer for what you did… And then… And then I found *him*… I found the one man I want to possess my heart…”  
Erik clenched his fist and lifted the rack off Shaw by just a fraction. The older man drew in a deep breath of relief.  
“And I discovered you had touched his life too… No, you’d done more than touch his life, you ruined it… You took his innocence away from him by defiling his body”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Shaw argued.  
Erik dropped the heavy rack upon his chest again.  
“I’m talking about Charles Xavier! He told me the things you used to do to him and it only increased my desire for revenge…”  
He continued to press down on the rack and smiled as Shaw’s eyes bulged, his breathing becoming more and more ragged.  
“This is for my mother” Erik whispered in his ear. “And for my lover”  
Then he dropped the weight as hard as he could and Shaw took his final breath. 

It had been almost a week since he’d watched Shaw die and he was now on his way back to Charles. He had wanted to leave immediately but realized he was but a days’ journey from his mother’s resting place so he’d decided to go to her and tell her the good news. That he’d avenged her.  
He’d sat by her grave for hours. He talked to her as though she were sitting right by his side, listening to his every word. He told her everything he’d wanted to be able to say during the years.  
He’d even talked for almost an hour straight just about Charles… About his feelings for him and the time they’d spent together… How eager he was to get back to the younger man…  
How being with him made Erik want to be a better man.

Up until now, he’d been very reckless with his own life. The only path he’d known had been one of anger and revenge. He’d told himself that he would never stray from that path and then he’d met Charles and his world had changed… But now he needed to take better care of himself.  
Erik had done things… Things he wasn’t proud of and things that involved breaking laws. He was certain there were some cities that he could never venture back to from fear of being imprisoned… That was something he’d never told Charles about himself.

He knew he wanted a life with Charles… One based on honesty. He was going to have to tell the younger man a lot of truths about himself… Some of which Charles may not be happy to learn. He was going to have to tell him of his own connection to Shaw and, inevitably, the part he’d played in his death.  
He’d placed his hand in the grass and stared at the headstone. Then he’d promised his mother that he was on a new path, one that would make him worthy of Charles’s love.

And now he was still a week’s journey away from Florence and had no money. He’d even used the ample supply Da Vinci had given him… It hadn’t been enough and now the only thing keeping him from Charles was money.

He began to pick up odd jobs here and there but most didn’t wish to pay him with money and he had to settle for food and lodging, things he needed anyway.  
One night he was accosted by a man on the street who offered him money in exchange for spending the night in his bed. Erik was tempted. Very tempted. The money would have gotten him closer to Charles but he hadn’t been able to accept. He didn’t want to have sex with this man. The only man he wanted in his bed was Charles.  
He told himself to be proud of his decision but it was hard.  
Erik wanted to be by Charles’s side. He wanted to hold the young man in his arms and tell him he loved him. He wanted to apologize to him for leaving the way he had. He wanted to hear Charles’s voice tell him that it was okay, that he wasn’t mad at him and that he still loved him.  
Some nights, as he lay awake in bed, the only thing that kept him going was the very memory of Charles. The older man felt silly, rejecting offers of money and sex, because a part of him desperately wanted both. He needed the money in order to return to Florence and it was very rare for him to go such a prolonged amount of time without taking an attractive man or woman into his bed…  
Even if his mind wasn’t in it, his body often craved the physical contact.

He started to think of the occasions he’d taken to Da Vinci’s bed. The artist was a very attractive man which was why Erik had been more than willing to partake... But that he been before he’d met Charles.  
He sighed. Just another thing to add to his list of truths he needed to share with the younger man. Erik wanted to be with Charles and he didn’t want there to be any secrets between them. He was already fairly certain that Charles had suspicions of Erik’s late night sessions with the artist.

Erik awoke very early the following morning. After packing away his very few possessions, he set off down the main road with no money in his pockets. There was no point saying here any longer. All he could do was hope that he’d have better luck in the next town.

*

Charles’s attempts to locate Erik, once again, proved fruitless. Yet again, he was interrupted by Leonardo and the artist was not impressed that Charles was causing himself physical pain. The younger man listened as the artist yelled until he was red in the face before storming off to clear his head.  
Charles felt terrible for disappointing Leonardo but he was acting out of concern for Erik. He missed him terribly and couldn’t help feeling something had gone wrong.  
It had been days since his last letter from Erik. He was beginning to feel antsy and nervous, jumping every time the door to the studio or work room burst open. 

He knew if he stayed in the studio that he would end up breaking something so he climbed to his feet, lumbered down the stairs and into Verrocchio’s studio. The older man was busy lecturing some of his other pupils and didn’t even notice Charles slink away out the main door.  
Once outside in the sunshine he had no idea where to go or what to do. He headed towards the Barking Dog and was almost there when he remembered it was Vanessa’s day off so he changed his path and headed towards the market but he didn’t want or need to buy anything.  
He wandered aimlessly amongst the stalls and found himself heading towards the town centre. Before he knew it, he was standing exactly where he’d been the night the colombina had been released… He could remember Erik taking his hand, leading him away through the crowd and kissing him.

Charles sighed. Sometimes he’d close his eyes and remember the feeling of Erik’s lips pressed upon his own. He shook his head, attempting to push such thoughts aside.  
He’d known Erik for barely a month. He knew very little about the older man for Erik never liked to talk about his past, his family, his friends, his future… Charles felt his heart beat that little bit faster as he thought of Erik’s future and, hopefully, his place in it. Erik’s letter’s all bore the promise that he would return to Charles because he loved him.

As he rounded the corner, Charles froze. He could have sworn he’d just sensed a glimpse of Erik’s presence. For a quick, fleeting second he had the tiniest inkling that Erik had been thinking of him.  
Charles stepped aside and looked around. The marketplace was crowded and loud. He turned and high tailed it towards the nearest Church. He very rarely attended services but he was certain it would be deserted, not to mention quiet inside. Charles pushed the door open, stepped inside and moved towards the nearest pew. He sank down onto the bench, took a deep breath and slowly released it. Charles closed his eyes and thought of Erik as he tried to mentally reach out to the older man.

He stayed inside the Church for a very long time. People came and went but no one disturbed him. Most whom passed him assumed he was very deep in prayer and, in a way, he almost was.  
Despite all his attempts, he was forced to admit that he must have just imagined what he’d felt. His heart sank as he shook his head from side to side. Was he doing this to himself? Getting his hopes up… Imagining what he wished was true, even if it really wasn’t?  
Feeling very dispirited, Charles stared up at the large crucifix on the wall and whispered a silent prayer for Erik to return to him before he got to his feet and dejectedly left the building.

*

Every inch of his body was aching. He felt as though he’d been struck by several horses and a cart but that hadn’t happened… Had it?  
Erik opened his eyes and groaned at the pain shooting through his entire body. It took him a few moments to remember where he was and what had happened.  
The last thing he could recall was Charles’s face, his bright eyes and soft lips drifting just out of his reach… But that was only in his head. He’d been struck by something and had collapsed in such pain. His whole body gave out on him and his mind had taken over, filling with nothing but the image of Charles, before he’d drifted into unconsciousness.

He blinked then winced at the bright sunlight shining down upon him. Erik tried to turn over but merely groaned in pain.  
It all came back to him. Walking along the river, being jumped by a group of bandits who’d demanded all his money and been severely disappointed to learn he was carrying none.  
He hadn’t been concerned, believing himself capable of overpowering the group of men but had then been surprised to find not one of them carrying a single weapon made of metal.

They outnumbered him, easily restrained him and quickly searched his clothing for anything of value. Erik had watched as they rifled through his meagre possessions, casting them aside with distaste.  
He didn’t try to fight until one reached into his pocket and pulled out Da Vinci’s sketch of Charles.

“What have we here?” the man asked him. Erik’s expression hardened.  
“Where are you hiding this pretty little thing?”  
“Milan” Erik lied.  
“No, they don’t make them like this in Milan”  
“Well, that’s where I met him” Erik snapped.  
“Now… Why don’t I believe you?”

It took all his willpower not to attack the man goading him but he was still outnumbered and being restrained by three men. He heard one of them mutter something about him being a waste of time. Then he felt something hard upon the back of his head and everything went dark.

Now he was awake and in pain. He carefully reached up and touched the back of his throbbing head. As he pulled his hand away he saw blood and winced.  
The bandits were long gone, his belongings strewn about him. He slowly moved towards his rug sack and began to put his possessions inside it. His eyes scanned the ground then he looked at where he’d been lying in the grass and found what he’d been looking for… the crumbled up sketch.  
Erik snatched it up and carefully tried to flatten it. The blood on his hand stained the image.

“Charles” he whispered at the sketch.  
He drew a deep breath then lay back down on the ground. The bandits must have started beating him after he was unconscious for every inch of his body ached.

Erik lay on the ground while he counted to fifty then he tried again to sit up. The pain was still there but he needed to work through it. He’d been held up long enough, he needed to keep going.  
The injured man managed to pull himself onto his knees. His head was throbbing. He reached out, snatched up his sack and began to crawl towards the nearby river. He was almost at the water’s edge when he collapsed.

*

The next time he awoke, he was moving. His body still ached, his head still pounded yet he was moving. He opened his eyes and was almost blinded by the sunlight blaring down at him.

“He’s waking up!” He heard a young boy cry.

The movement stopped.  
“Papa? Is he okay?” the voice sounded concerned.

“Sir? Are you alright?” an older gentlemen spoke to him.  
“Where am I?” Erik asked. “What’s going on?”  
“We found you by the river”

Erik attempted to sit up.  
“Don’t move, you’re in a bad way”  
“I need to get to Florence” Erik insisted.  
“You need a healer”  
“In Florence!”

Erik was too weak to argue with the man and his son. He lay back down and closed his eyes.  
“My name is Erik” he began. “I was traveling to Florence when a group of bandits took me by surprise”  
“We found you unconscious by the river” the man said. “My son begged me to help you. We’re traders and we’re happy to take you to a healer. There should be one in the next town”  
“Then I thank you” Erik replied. “But I have no money with which to repay you”  
“And we have little of value for you to steal from us”  
“I assure you, I would not wish to steal from people who have been so kind to me”  
“Close your eyes… rest… You need to save your strength… It may be several more hours until we reach a town with a healer”

Too exhausted to argue, Erik did as instructed.

*

The Barking Dog was extra crowded that night. Charles sat opposite Leonardo and Zoraster only half listening to their conversation. He knew he should be paying attention but it was difficult. He kept picking up snippets of other people’s conversations and, for some reason the talk of the town had become the tragic death of Sebastian Shaw.  
The first few times he heard the name it immediately had him on edge but the shock was beginning to wear off.  
Now he was driven more by curiosity. It felt like everywhere he went someone seemed to be discussing his death. He couldn’t ever recall hearing Shaw’s name at any time in Florence but the businessman seemed to have become notorious with his death.  
The most interesting part seemed to be the cause of his death. Many citizens seemed to agree it was such a tragedy that both his sons had died before him which meant there was no one claim his vast fortune.

“Maestro?” Charles finally broke his silence.  
“Charles?” Leo cast a curious gaze at his friend.  
“Everyone in town seems to be talking about Shaw”  
“Ignore them” Zo quickly interjected.  
“I am trying to, Zo, but… I don’t understand… Maestro, how exactly did he die?”  
“An accident, Charles”  
“But… What kind of accident?”

“The kind that means the bastard got what he deserved” Zo explained.  
“Zo” Leonardo warned.  
“Please, Maestro?” Charles pleaded. “You said he was trapped under debris?”  
“He was hosting a party, Charles, and went down to the cellar for more wine… The rack was loose and fell on top of him but the party was loud and no one could hear him calling for help… He was crushed to death”

Charles knew there was more to it. He could see it in the older man’s eyes, there was something he wasn’t telling him. He tried to peer into his mind but all he could see was a closed door. This piqued his interest… The artist had long learned this was a sure fire way to keep Charles from seeing something he didn’t want him to… But if Charles admitted seeing the door then he was admitting to trying to read Leo’s mind.

“So he…” Charles hesitated. “Was it a quick death?”  
“We don’t know” Leo confessed. “We may never know”  
“I heard talk that… That both of his sons are dead too”  
“Yes… I heard that too”  
“And they were both accidents too?”

“Charles?” Leonardo began. “What are you getting at?”  
“Nothing, I guess” Charles averted his eyes.  
“Talk to me, Charles… What’s wrong?”

The younger man simply shook his head, unable to meet the artist’s gaze. What was the older man keeping from him?  
“I’m fine, maestro” Charles said. “But if you don’t mind, I think I’ll retire for the night”  
“It’s still early” Zo argued.  
“I… My head hurts, I should lie down”

Charles could feel Da Vinci’s eyes on him but he still wouldn’t meet his gaze.  
“You better not be using your abilities to reach Erik again” he warned the younger man.  
“I haven’t been able to sense him!” Charles couldn’t mask the fear in his voice.  
“So you have been trying!”

“Just once” he confessed. “I… I thought I heard him… in my head… But I.. I was mistaken”  
“Charles” Leo reached across the table and placed his hand upon the younger man’s arm. “Please, you need to be careful”  
“I know what I’m doing”  
“No, you don’t… You’re not in control of your emotions, you’re too concerned for Erik and you’re endangering yourself”  
“I just need to know that he’s okay”  
“He will come back, Charles… I know he will”

The conversation came to an abrupt end as Giuliano appeared, searching for Vanessa. Charles used the interruption to his advantage and took his leave. He walked back to the artist’s studio alone, not watching where he was going or even caring.  
It had been days since his last letter from Erik… What if he wasn’t really coming back? Leonardo knew something that he wasn’t telling Charles… Something about Erik perhaps?

Charles let himself inside and made his way through the darkened studio. He trudged up the stairs to his room and kicked off his shoes before throwing himself down upon the bed.  
He closed his eyes and tried to sense Erik… But to no avail. 

After several attempts he gave up and reached under his pillow for the letters Erik had sent him. He’d read each of them so many times that the words were imprinted in his mind but he still held them in his hands and stared at the words written in Erik’s hand.  
He traced his name with his finger and smiled to himself. There were no dates upon the letters so he had no way of tracking how long it had taken for each to be delivered. More than two weeks had passed since the last one.

“Oh Erik” he whispered to himself.  
With the letters grasped in one hand, he ran his other hand down the length of his body and slipped it inside his pants. He closed his eyes, his mind filling with images of Erik, and he sensually began to touch himself.  
He thought only of Erik, wishing and hoping the older man would return to him as quickly as possible. Keeping his eyes closed and his mind focused on Erik, he tried to pretend the hand on his body was not his own, bringing him to climax. He worked himself furiously until he came with a deep shudder and crying his lover’s name quietly into the night.

*

Leo had a lie in the following morning and by the time he appeared in Verrocchio’s studio, the place was already bustling with busy workers and nude models.  
Charles was in one corner talking to Vanessa. She appeared to be enquiring about Erik, curious to know if Charles had received any more letters from his handsome suitor.

When he saw Da Vinci, Charles broke away from Vanessa and approached the artist. He wasn’t sure what possessed him but once he started he found he couldn’t stop. Charles marched right up to the older man, grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards his workshop.  
Baffled by Charles’s unusual behaviour, Leo didn’t attempt to stop him. He simply fell in step with his apprentice and stayed quiet until they were both safely behind the closed door of the workroom.

“Maestro?” Charles began.  
“Yes, Charles?” Leo replied. He had no idea what had brought this on.  
“I tried to read your mind last night and you were blocking me”  
“I’m always blocking you, Charles”  
“So you admit it then?”  
“You’re admitting to prodding my mind so yes, I confess I was keeping you out”  
“Why? What do you not wish me to know?”  
“Charles…”

“We’ve never kept secrets from each other, Maestro” Charles continued. “That’s why you know about Shaw and my life and…”  
“And why you didn’t tell me you were fucking Erik?” Leo asked him.

The younger man froze. It was true. Charles had kept his relationship with Erik a secret from the artist.  
“I kept that from you because I…” he trailed off.  
“Because… Why? Charles?”  
“I was jealous” he confessed.

It was not the answer Leo had been expecting.  
“Jealous?” he asked. “Of what?”  
“You”  
“Me?”  
“I know you like to… enjoy your subjects… and Erik was one of them… Before I met him…”  
“Charles…”  
“You slept with him, didn’t you?”  
“I…”  
“I know it’s none of my business what you do with your models” Charles continued. He wouldn’t look at the artist. “But once Erik and I met and I… I realized I was… attracted to him… I thought that if I kept it from you then I could pretend you and he never…”

“Charles” Leo’s voice was gentle and understanding. “I never had penetrative sex with Erik”  
“What does that even mean?”  
“We enjoyed each other’s company… He posed in the nude and we explored each other’s bodies… with our hands”

The younger man stared at the artist. He dared to peer into his mind and saw visions of Leo kissing Erik, touching him, making him come. He tried not to feel jealous, this had transpired before Charles had even met Erik.

“You’re not… Really jealous, are you Charles?” he sounded genuinely concerned.  
“I… N… No” he stammered. “I… I guess not”

“Are you forgetting that I had sex with you?” Da Vinci’s question took Charles by surprise.  
“That was… different… The circumstances and the situation…” he paused then stared up at the older man. “Is that what you’re keeping from me? What you don’t want me to see in your mind?”  
“What are you…?”

Then Charles was projecting an image into Leonardo’s mind. Of the two of them and Erik in bed together… Erik and Leo both thrusting inside Charles’s body.  
“Stop!” Leo shouted as he squeezed his eyes closed. “Stop it, Charles!”  
“Maestro, please?” Charles reached out for the artist but Leo pulled away from him. The expression on his face was one Charles had not seen before.

“Charles” Leonardo began. “Please, do not do that again”  
“Why not?” Charles asked. “It happened… We can not change that”  
“It shouldn’t have happened! I never should have… I’m sorry, Charles… I’m sorry for what I did to you that night”  
“What you did…?”  
“I know Erik said you wanted me to… that you wanted us to help you but I… I feel like I took advantage of you and I swore to myself that I would never do that to you”

“Maestro” Charles reached out again and placed his hand on the artists arm. This time Leo didn’t try to flinch away. “You’re one of the best things that has ever happened to me… Before I met Erik, you were the only good thing in my life… You mean the world to me. You took me in and have been my employer and friend… You saved me and you’ve protected me… You’ve given me a better life than I ever thought I’d have… And I trust you with all my heart”  
“But-”  
“No! I do not wish to argue with you. I don’t know what you were talking about… about Erik wanting you to help me but I don’t care… I do not regret anything that happened between us that night… We were all caught up in the moment but I trusted you and I knew you would never hurt me… I love you, Maestro but… I never want to share a bed with you again”

The artist smiled and chuckled to himself.  
“Nor do I wish to find you in my bed again, Charles” Leo stated.  
“There’s only one man I want in my bed and that’s Erik”  
“I can see how much you love him… But are you certain he’s the best man for you? You said you fear he has a dark side”  
“There are dark aspects of his life that he has not yet shared with me”  
“Are there not things you’ve kept from him, too?”

“He knows what they did to me” Charles whispered.  
“But does he know who they are?” Leo asked.  
“Not yet…”  
“So you do intend to tell him then?”  
“Of course I do”

They both fell silent, each deep in thought.  
“Is that what you were keeping from me, Maestro?” Charles broke the silence. “Your feelings of guilt over what happened?”  
“Yes” he lied. “What else would I be hiding from you?”  
“I… I don’t know”  
“Charles? If there’s something bothering you…?”  
“Why didn’t you have sex with Erik?”

“What?” he truly was confused now.  
“You said you never did… So why didn’t you? You always do!” Charles had never spoken so freely with the older man.  
“I do not always sleep with them” he said in his defence.  
“Maestro”  
“Okay, I mostly do… But I was so fascinated by Erik’s body that I was more focused on capturing it than claiming it… And, as I said weeks ago, I like being able to walk… My utmost respect to you Charles for taking it all though”  
Leo nudged Charles and winked at him. The younger man’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red. The artist chuckled to himself.

“I was afraid, Maestro” Charles finally admitted. “That you were hiding something much worse from me”  
“Such as?” he asked.  
“I haven’t been able to sense him, he has not written for weeks…”  
“Charles, I promise you, if anything had happened to him… if word had reached me that he was in trouble… I swear I would tell you” he paused. “You do believe me, don’t you?”  
Charles slowly nodded his head as he blinked back tears.  
“I’m scared for him” he confessed.  
“Erik is a very capable man, I’m sure he’s okay”  
“I want to believe you”  
“Then do” he smiled reassuringly. “He’ll be back before you know it”  
“But what if-”  
“No, do not even think of asking about ‘what ifs’”

Charles nodded his head and wiped his eyes. Leo reached out to place his hand upon the younger man’s shoulder when the door to the workroom slammed open. They both turned towards the doorway and were surprised to find Erik standing there.  
He looked terrible in his dirty, torn clothing. There were scratches upon his face and his eye looked like it had been badly bruised. Erik took a step forwards as Charles leapt to his feet. 

Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, Erik stumbled across the room as Charles ran towards him. He swept the younger man into his arms, wincing at the pain in his side, and brought their lips together in a deep, passionate kiss. Erik lifted Charles from the ground, tightening his arms around his waist, needing to feel his lover’s body against his own.

Leonardo couldn’t quite believe the terrible state Erik appeared to be in. He wondered what on earth had happened to him during his travels. But as he stared at the two men, so deeply engrossed in each other’s embrace, he couldn’t help smiling with relief. The artist had always believed that Erik would return.

“Erik” Charles gasped as they broke apart to draw breath.  
His lover gave a small gasp of pain and Charles quickly released him. Then he took the time to take in Erik’s appearance. The older man was shaky on his legs which gave out as he lost his hold on Charles.

Leonardo was by their side and quickly helped Erik into the nearest chair.  
“Thank you” Erik gasped as he sat down.

“Erik” Charles reached out and gently touched his lover’s cheek. “What happened to you?”  
“I was ambushed” Erik confessed. “A few days journey away… A peddler and his son found me unconscious and helped me… They brought me here to a healer but all that mattered to me was coming home to you, Charles”  
The younger man leaned down and softly kissed Erik’s lips.

“You need to rest” Leo said to him. “Charles, help me take him upstairs”  
“I’m fine” he tried to brush their concerns away.  
“You are not fine, Erik. Let us help you”

Leo and Charles managed to get Erik upstairs and settled on the artist’s bed. The effort of making it across town and up the stairs seemed to have drained most of his energy and Erik was finding it difficult to keep his eyes open.

“Rest now, Erik” Charles whispered. “I’ll be right here to take care of you”  
Erik stared up at the concerned face of his beautiful Charles. He couldn’t ever recall anyone offering to take care of him. He reached out for the younger man’s hand and held it tightly in his own.  
“I came back for you, Charles” Erik whispered. “I love you”  
“I love you, too” Charles replied before Erik drifted off to sleep.

*

Erik drifted in and out of sleep for several hours. Charles never once left his side. He wasn’t game enough to crawl into bed with him as he feared causing further injuries. Leonardo left them on their own, Vanessa stopped by twice with food and drink. Charles quite enjoyed hand feeding Erik.

For three days Charles watched over Erik.  
He was rewarded for his efforts with lots of tender kisses from his lover. On the second day of his recovery, Leonardo pulled Charles away from Erik’s bedside and announced he had to leave town for a few days. The younger man’s face fell at the prospect of leaving Erik but the artist assured him that he was not required to accompany him.  
So Leo and Zo set off during the night, leaving Charles alone to care for Erik. The older man was recovering very well and had already tried twice to pull Charles into bed with him.

Charles was very patient with Erik. Though he tried to question the older man for information about where he’d gone and what he’d done, Erik refused to tell him and Charles did not use his gifts to pry.  
They left the workshop together and ventured out for a meal. Charles took Erik to a slightly more dignified establishment than the Barking Dog and they enjoyed a quiet meal together.  
As they made their way back to the studio, Erik took Charles’s hand in his and they walked the streets in comfortable silence. As they walked, Charles caught a snatch of conversation and heard the name ‘Sebastian Shaw’. Both he and Erik appeared to tense and they caught each other’s eye. Charles was the first to avert his gaze.

The spell broken, they walked back to the studio knowing something had shifted in the air between them. Charles led Erik inside and back up to the studio. Leonardo’s bed looked very large, comfortable and empty.  
Erik wanted nothing more than to take Charles to bed and make love to him all night long but there was a haunted look in the younger man’s eyes… Erik, himself, felt a twinge in his heart. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep such a secret from Charles.

“Charles” he began. His lover looked up at him, saw Erik holding his arms open for him. “Come here” they were standing mere inches apart.  
The younger man nodded his head and slid into Erik’s arms, burying his face in the older man’s chest. Erik enfolded Charles in his arms, holding him tight yet gentle.

“I think we have to talk” Erik said. He was certain Charles could feel his heart rate increasing.  
“I think so too” Charles agreed.  
Erik slowly released Charles, took his hands in his and walked him across the room to Da Vinci’s bed. They both sat down, still grasping the other’s hands and both paused.

Charles raised his head and looked up at Erik’s face. The older man was staring down at their joined hands. He looked to be fighting back tears. Charles carefully released one of Erik’s hands and reached up, placing his palm upon his lover’s cheek. Without thinking, he leaned forward and kissed him very quickly. Before he could pull away, Erik’s hand was behind his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss.  
It was some time before the couple reluctantly parted.

“I’m sorry for… prolonging that” Erik whispered. “But I… I fear once you hear what I have to say, you may never wish to kiss me again so I… I wanted to enjoy it while I could”  
“Erik, how could you possibly think that? I love you”  
“I love you too Charles but… I know we’ve not known each other long but I’ve never met anyone like you before and I’ve never had feelings like what I feel for you”  
“Did you come back here just to break my heart?”  
“No… Maybe…”  
“Erik!”

The look of shock and hurt on Charles’ face made Erik want to kick himself.  
“Charles, no” Erik stammered. “It’s not my intention but I… I don’t know how you will feel about me once you know the things I’ve done… But I want you in my life, I want a better life for myself… And I can’t keep secrets from you. I don’t want to keep secrets from you. I want you to know the real reason why I left you the way I did and why I was able to come back”  
“There are things about my life that I’ve not told you either… You know very little of my past, just as I know very little about yours but I trust you, Erik. I’ve seen into your mind and your soul and I know that you’re a good person, one whom I love greatly and whom I want to be with… that is if you’ll still want me”  
“I will always want you, Charles… Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do”

“Erik, I know you heard those men talking tonight” Charles hurried to explain. “And you saw my reaction… But that name… I don’t know if word reached you during your travels about the businessman, Sebastian Shaw, he died very recently” Erik tried not to react in any way but Charles had already closed his eyes, unable to look at Erik. “It was him… He was my step-father… The one who… did all those things to me…”  
Two tears trickled from beneath Charles’s lashes.  
“But I’m not sad that he’s dead” he continued. “In fact… I… I haven’t told anyone this but I… I’m actually relieved he’s gone, knowing he can never hurt me again…” he paused and then his voice was only in Erik’s head. ‘A part of me wishes I had been the one to do it’

He heard Erik gasp and his eyes flew open. He stared at the older man with fear in his eyes.  
“Oh Charles” Erik reached out and pulled Charles into his arms, placing a single kiss to his forehead. The younger man had not been expecting this kind of reaction.  
“Erik” Charles gasped. “Did you not hear me?”  
“Of course I heard you”  
“Then why are you not… Angry with me”  
“Angry?”  
“For wishing someone harm… death even… I’ve never so much as… I’m not one for violence… I know it’s wrong to have such dark thoughts”

“He hurt you Charles” Erik pulled away and stared deeply into the younger mans eyes. “You were merely a child and he hurt you in one of the worst possible ways. No man should ever touch a child in such a way, not ever… And not for the months, years that he subjected you to it”  
Tears were streaming down Charles’s cheeks which Erik carefully brushed aside.

“You have every right to feel the way you do, Charles” Erik insisted.  
“So you don’t think I’m a monster? For thinking the things I do”  
“No, I do not”  
“Oh Erik”  
Charles had never felt such relief in his life. He threw his arms around Erik and kissed him firmly on the lips. The older man returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm but he was the first to pull away.

“Charles” he began. “You’ve been honest with me and now it’s my turn… But I… I don’t think I can say it to you”  
“Say what?”  
“What I have to say… I want you to… to see it… I want you to look into my mind and see it”  
“Erik”  
“Please Charles? I… I need you to understand”  
“Okay”

Erik took both of Charles’s hands in his and closed his eyes.  
“Tell me when you’re ready” Erik said aloud.  
‘I’m here’ Charles’s voice was in Erik’s head.

Then he was inundated with memories of the older man’s life. It was almost too much for Charles. He’d never been granted complete access to someone’s mind before. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for but then Erik was there, holding out a hand to guide him.

He continued to see flashes and experience the feelings and emotions that Erik had been experiencing during these times of his life. Charles saw Erik as a child, so young and happy. Erik with his mother, loved and safe… then there was immense pain and loss as Erik’s mother’s life came to an end… Followed by such anger and hatred at the faceless man who had taken her life… Then Erik was older, driven by anger and a need for revenge…  
Charles saw himself through Erik’s eyes, saw Erik guide the flying machine to safety, he saw them sharing their first kiss… Saw himself naked in Erik’s arms and the love swelling from the older man’s heart…  
Da Vinci’s voice telling Erik that Sebastian Shaw, the man who killed Erik’s mother, was Charles’s step-father…  
He felt the pain Erik felt as he sneaked from Charles’s bed and set off in the dead of the night…

Then he saw Sebastian Shaw pinned beneath a wine rack, slowly being crushed to death as Erik towered above him. Felt the anger and victory coursing through Erik’s veins, heard Erik’s voice whispering to Shaw “This is for my mother and for my lover”  
The last image he saw was Erik crying at his mother’s grave. The pain and loss he was feeling overwhelmed Charles. He heard Erik telling his mother that being with Charles made him want to be a better man, one who deserved his love.

Once the final image had faded, Charles opened his eyes and found himself lying on his back on the bed. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he was struggling to draw breath. It had all happened so fast, had completely overwhelmed him and he was just starting to make sense of it all.  
The pain Erik had felt at losing his mother, his desire for revenge, the intensity of his feelings for Charles, the feeling of triumph as Shaw took his last breath, the grief he felt at his mother’s grave.

Charles was still panting as he rolled onto his chest and pushed himself into a sitting position. He raised himself up and dared to look up at Erik. The older man looked pale and nervous. He was watching Charles with concern, uncertainty, and even fear.

“Shaw killed your mother?” Charles asked.  
“Yes” Erik confessed.  
“So you killed him?”  
“Yes”  
“Did you use me to try and get to him?”  
“No”  
“Did you know who I was when we met?”  
“No”

Tears had formed, yet again, in Charles’ eyes.  
“You knew… About Shaw…Before I said anything” Charles murmured.  
“I didn’t know” Erik confessed. “Not until Da Vinci told me… He knew I was hunting Shaw and he… He knew what Shaw had done to you… He knew it was my intention to kill him”

The younger man was still struggling to draw breath. It was a lot to take in.  
He wanted to be mad, to be angry, to scream and yell but he couldn’t. Erik’s feelings had consumed him, he knew everything the older man had felt… He’d felt the pain Erik suffered because of Shaw, felt his desire for vengeance, felt his satisfaction at Shaw’s death.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before you left?” Charles asked him.  
“I feared you would try to stop me” Erik admitted. “And… I didn’t want you to know that I… I was a killer… I wanted you to believe I was a good person, one who deserved your love”  
“Oh, Erik”

Charles did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around Erik’s neck, pulled him close and kissed him. The older man was too surprised to react and by the time he responded to Charles’s kiss, the younger man had managed to manoeuvre his way into Erik’s lap. He wrapped his legs around Erik’s waist, straddling his thighs and his hips gave an involuntary thrust or two.

“Charles?” Erik growled as his lover broke the kiss. “What are you…?”  
“Fuck me, Erik” Charles whispered in his ear.  
“I… Are… What?”

Erik was in complete shock. He’d just confessed a terrible crime to Charles. He’d admitted to committing murder. By all logical reasoning, Charles should be ashamed of him, disappointed even… But no, here he was, in Erik’s lap, begging him to take him.

“Please, Erik?” Charles’ lips brushed against his ear. “I need you”  
“Even after… Seeing what you did in my mind? You… You still want me?”  
“You still want me, don’t you?”  
“I never stopped wanting you… And I never will”  
“Then please Erik… Please, just fuck me!”

The words were barely out of Charles’s mouth when he found himself lying on his stomach on the bed, Erik’s body covering his own. He turned his head, craning his neck to meet Erik’s lips with desperate kisses. As Erik’s tongue claimed his mouth, he felt the older man’s hands clawing at his clothes.  
It proved too difficult so Erik reluctantly broke their kiss long enough to separate Charles from his boots and pants. He cast his own clothing aside as quickly before reclaiming his position on the bed.

“Erik?” Charles cried out.  
“I’m here” Erik replied. He reached out and ran his hand down the length of the younger man’s spine, loving the way his back arched at his touch. His fingers trailed along Charles’ skin down to his pert ass. Erik rubbed his hand up and down his lover’s crack as Charles whimpered at the touch.  
“Please?” the younger man murmured.  
As his fingers dipped in and out of his lover’s ass, Erik was overcome with the need to claim every inch of Charles’s body. He’d never felt so possessive or protective of another person before. Without giving any indication of his intentions, Erik grasped his lover’s cheeks and parted them then he leaned forward and plunged his wet tongue into the younger man’s tight hole.

Charles cried out in shock and bucked his hip, trying to encourage Erik to dig in deeper.  
‘OhGodYesYesPleaseGodYes’ Charles could barely form legible words. Nothing verbal anyway but Erik could hear his lover’s pleas in his mind which was all the encouragement he needed. He took Charles’ cock in his hand and began to furiously stroke the hardened organ as his tongue lapped at his puckering hole.  
With each lick and prod of his tongue, Charles became a whimpering mess beneath him. Erik had never seen his lover looking so… so… desperately beautiful before.

Charles had never before experienced such a thing. Erik’s tongue was indescribable and not just because it was not the type of thing one discussed in polite conversation. He felt shudders of excitement through his entire body, all the way to the tips of his toes. He lost control of himself and began to project his feelings upon Erik. The older man could not believe something as simple as his tongue could be having such an effect on his aroused lover.

“Erik” Charles finally verbalised an objection. “I… I’m going to…”  
But the older man simply grinned and prodded in further with his tongue as he tightened his grip on Charles’ cock. Moments later he felt the trickle of his lover’s seed on his hand, felt Charles’ body relax beneath him.  
Erik released his hold on the younger man and gently eased Charles onto his back. His lover gazed up at him through drooping eyelids. Erik watched the steady movement of Charles chest moving up and down as he fought to gain his breath. His eyes slid down his body towards his cock which was now covered in come. Erik leaned down and began to lap up the sweet sticky mess with his tongue.  
Charles sighed contentedly as Erik’s tongue teased his cock. He reached out and grabbed Erik’s wrist pulled his hand up to his face and took his lover’s fingers into his mouth. He wasn’t sure if he would get used to tasting himself but he loved the sounds Erik made as his tongue suckled his fingers.

Once finished, Erik raised himself onto his arms and climbed up to meet Charles, his body covering his lover’s as he loomed above him, gazing down at him. Charles placed his hand upon Erik’s neck and pulled him close for a deep lingering kiss.

“That was…” Charles panted.  
“You’re so beautiful when you come” Erik whispered. He smiled when Charles turned a deep shade of red. “You’re even cute when you’re embarrassed”  
“Erik… Stop” Charles continued to blush.  
The older man chuckled then leaned down and kissed him again.  
“Please, Erik?” Charles murmured into the kiss.  
“Please what?” Erik asked between kisses.  
“Fuck me” 

Erik made a low growl then buried his face in the younger man’s neck. Charles giggled as Erik’s tongue tickled his skin and he attempted to playfully push him away. His arm gave out beneath him and Erik fell on top of Charles.  
He gave a whimper of pain that didn’t go unnoticed by Charles.

“Erik?” Charles’ voice was laced with concern. “Erik, are you alright?”  
“Yes” Erik replied. 

“Gah” he winced in pain as he rolled onto his back and lay on the bed next to his lover. Charles propped himself up onto his side and continued to stare at Erik with concern.  
“Erik?” he asked as he reached out and gently touched his cheek.  
“It’s my side” Erik confessed. “My ribs… I think”  
“Why didn’t you say something?”  
“It wasn’t hurting before”  
“Then you should rest”

Charles made to climb off the bed but Erik reached out and wrapped his arm around the younger man’s waist.  
“No” Erik pulled Charles back towards him.  
“Erik”  
“Stay”  
“You need time to recover”  
“Charles, I’ve spent three days resting and recovering… All I want to do right now is take you in my arms” he pulled Charles closer. “And make love to you”  
“I don’t want you to hurt yourself”  
“It’ll be worth it”  
“Erik!”

The older man growled. His hand moved down Charles’ back and grasped his left buttock. Charles moaned and bucked his hips. Erik smiled and slipped his hand into the crevice of his lover’s ass, rubbing at his hole and prodding it with his finger. Charles whimpered and rubbed his cock against Erik’s thigh.

“You want this, Charles” Erik teased.  
“I do” Charles whispered in agreement. “But no-”  
“No?”  
“You’re hurt”

“Shhhhhh”  
Erik brought his other hand to cup Charles’s cheek. He leaned over and kissed him on the lips. Erik winced at the pain but refused to break the embrace. Charles deepened the kiss, climbing up so his body loomed above Erik’s.  
The older man slid his arms around his lover’s waist and pulled the younger man’s body on top of his own.  
“Erik” Charles murmured into his lover’s mouth.  
He tried to shift his weight so he was now straddling Erik’s thighs and he pulled away, sitting up to look down at the older man. He didn’t look amused.

“Charles?” Erik began. “Don’t pout”  
He reached up and brushed his finger across Charles’ bottom lip. The younger man parted his lips and took Erik’s digit into his mouth. Erik grinned as he worked his finger in and out of Charles’ mouth. He groaned as he buried his finger right to the knuckle.  
Charles reached up, grabbed Erik’s wrist and slowly released his lover’s finger.

“Erik” there was a hint of a warning in his voice.  
“Yes, Charles?”  
“You’re trying to distract me”  
“I’m trying to fuck you… Like you wanted me to”

Erik reached around behind Charles, the younger man was still astride him, he grasped Charles’ ass and squeezed. His lover yelped and placed both hands upon Erik’s chest, rubbed his firm abs then reached up to squeeze his nipple. Erik gasped as the nub hardened.  
He released his lover’s ass cheek and grabbed his own cock. He was already hard and weeping with excitement as he rubbed his hardness against Charles’s crack.

“Erik!” Charles cried out. “Please?”  
“Please what?” Erik asked.

Charles reached around and placed his hand on top of Erik’s. He gave a few eager strokes to the already hard cock then held it in place. Erik stared up at his lover as the younger man raised his hips, slid back and carefully lowered himself onto Erik’s cock.  
The younger man cried out as he impaled himself. Erik placed his hands upon his lover’s thighs to steady him and began to thrust his hips. Pain shot through his chest and Erik stopped moving.

“Erik” Charles placed his hand on his lover’s chest and gently rubbed his side, wanting to ease his pain.  
“Don’t want to stop” Erik replied.  
“Let me… Please?” Erik cocked his eyebrow in confusion. “Trust me”  
Then Charles began to move his hips, bouncing up and down on his lover’s hard cock. Erik groaned in pain and grasped Charles’s thigh.

The younger man froze at his lover’s indication of pain. Charles moved again, lodging Erik’s cock deep inside himself then slowly began to rock his hips. Erik made a guttural sound deep in his throat and reached for Charles’ cock. 

“So tight, Charles” Erik groaned.  
“I’ve missed this” Charles panted. “Missed you”  
“I missed you too”

Erik wrapped his fingers around Charles’ cock and started pumping his hardening organ. His lover cried out with excitement and continued to ride the older man’s cock, bouncing up and down with enthusiasm. His lover hissed with pain again causing Charles to freeze mid-thrust.

“Erik… I’m so sorry” Charles apologized.  
“I don’t care” Erik replied. “I can handle the pain”  
“But-”

The older man sat up, wrapped his arms around Charles and pushed him down upon the bed. Charles, now lying flat on his back, stared up at Erik in surprise. His lover eased his cock back inside Charles’s ass and started to thrust eagerly. The pain in his side was intense but he was determined to power through it.  
He grasped Charles’ hips and thrust as deep and hard as he could. Erik’s cock found the right spot and his lover cried out in ecstasy. With each thrust, Erik brought Charles closer and closer to the edge. He wrapped his hand around his cock and started working the hardness.

“Erik!” Charles cried out.

He ignored the pain in his side. The only thing that mattered to him right now was bringing Charles to orgasm. He buried himself balls deep inside his lover’s ass and shot his load. Charles cried out as Erik filled him. Moments later, Charles pulled Erik towards him and kissed him deeply as his own orgasm took over. He shot his seed all over his lover’s chest.  
Erik collapsed on the bed beside Charles, clutching at his side as the pain overwhelmed him. The younger man sat up, fear and guilt all over his face.

“Erik?” Charles asked. His voice filed with concern. “Erik, are you okay? How bad is it?”  
“It’s nothing” Erik lied.  
“You’re in pain… We shouldn’t have-”  
“No! I wanted to… I don’t regret what we just did”  
He reached for Charles’ hand, brought it to his lips and kissed the palm.  
“I love you” Erik insisted. “So much that it hurts”  
Charles gave an involuntary smile at Erik’s joke.

“Let’s get you cleaned up then”  
Charles climbed off the bed, padded across the floor and dipped a cloth into a basin of water. He hurried back to Erik’s side and gently cleaned the mess they’d made. As he made to move away, Erik caught him in his arms and pulled him into a hug. The younger man sighed with content as Erik kissed him.

“I missed you, Charles” Erik whispered. “I’m sorry I was gone so long”  
“I missed you too” Charles assured him. “But thank you for telling me the truth… Why you left the way you did and your reason for leaving me”  
“I promised I would come back to you”  
“And now you have”  
It was Charles’ turn to lean in for a kiss. It was several long moments before they separated. Charles finally climbed off the bed and put the dirty cloth aside then he hurried back to Erik’s arms.  
Being careful not to aggravate his injuries, Charles pressed his body against Erik’s and draped his arm across his lover’s chest. The older man placed a kiss to his forehead.  
For the longest time the two men lie together in comfortable silence, holding each other close and exchanging an occasional kiss.

Both men were asleep when Da Vinci returned to his workshop. He quietly made his way up the stairs to his workroom and lit one of the lamps. It cast a dull eerie light throughout the room. The artist dropped his bag upon the table and moved about, heading towards his bed but stopped in his tracks. Erik and Charles were sleeping content in each other’s arms. Leo couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 

He took a step back just as Charles began to stir. The younger man opened his eyes and slowly raised his head. He looked up and his gaze locked with the artists.

“Maestro?” Charles whispered. He didn’t want to wake Erik.  
“Just go back to sleep, Charles” Leo whispered.  
“I wasn’t expecting you back yet”  
“I can see that”  
Charles started to sit up but Leo held up his hand, indicating for him to stop.  
“Maestro” he continued. “I’m sorry”  
“It’s quite alright”

The artist walked around the bed and knelt down beside his assistant. Then he lowered his voice.  
“I must apologize, Charles” Leo said. “It would seem I was wrong”  
“About what?”  
“I said I hoped to never see you in my bed again”  
Charles felt himself beginning to blush.  
“But clearly I meant with me… Because right now, I swear, I don’t remember ever seeing you so happy. There’s a light inside of you that’s practically radiating… And the same could be said for Erik too”  
“Really?” Charles sounded so hopeful as his gaze shifted from the artist to his lover and back again.

Leonardo reached out and placed his hand on Charles’s shoulder.  
“I’m so happy he came back to you, Charles” Leo said.  
“So am I” he agreed. “Maestro?”  
“Yes, Charles?”  
“You told Erik that Sebastian Shaw was my step-father”  
“Is that a question or?”  
Charles placed his own hand upon Leonardo’s then gazed into his eyes.  
“Thank you” he whispered. “For being so kind to me, for looking after me when I had no one and for being the only family I could ever need”  
“You don’t have to thank me, Charles… Like you just said, we’re family”

“If you two don’t mind, I’m trying to rest here”  
Erik’s voice cut through their conversation.  
“Shut the fuck up, Erik” Leo smiled. “Or I’ll make you sleep on the floor”  
“Is he always this grumpy when he returns from a trip?” Erik asked Charles. His eyes were still closed as he was trying to keep the light from disturbing him.  
“He can be as grumpy as he wants” Charles replied. “Besides, we are in his bed”  
“And a comfortable one it is too”

Both Leonardo and Charles chuckled.  
“Go back to sleep, Charles” Leo said to his friend. “We can talk more in the morning”  
“Are you s-”  
“Yes! Now go to sleep… Goodnight Charles”

The artist climbed to his feet, walked over to the lamp and extinguished it. Then he slipped out the door and disappeared. Charles lie back down and snuggled beside his lover.

“If you’re planning on staying around” Charles murmured into the darkness. “I’m going to need a bigger bed”  
“Yes” Erik agreed. “You definitely are… Perhaps we should go shopping for one”  
“When?”  
“I don’t know… Maybe tomorrow?”  
“Sounds good to me”

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:  
> http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/11912.html?thread=22991752#t22991752
> 
> I just came back from an art lecture that mentioned that Leonardo da Vinci sketched about 50 males for every 1 female.
> 
> Erik and Charles are two of those men. Maybe Charles is Leonardo's assistant and Erik is a model or they're both models. They can have their powers or not it's up to you (although I think da Vinci would've been fascinated by those powers and maybe a mutant himself.) Just please have than meet through at least one of them being drawn by da Vinci!


End file.
